Is it wrong To be A Courier From The Wastes?
by dereturd
Summary: When Courier Six's luck went wrong, he finds himself in a strange world he needs to get used to. Either he finds a way home, or he leaves it all behind and begin anew when he reaches the city of Orario.
1. Outta Luck

**1 - Outta Luck**

"Well, Six, what do you think?" Arcade asked, the scientist looking towards the man he was talking to. Instead of him wearing his usual Elite Riot Gear, he wore a suit of X-01 Power Armor.

" _Well since the crate returned safely. It's safe to assume that this thing won't go wrong._ " Six somehow radioed his speech. The Followers of the Apocalypse nodded and smiled towards him, happy that their modified molecular relay (with a little help from Big MT) is safely working.

 _Safely_ working.

This started with an idea from a former Institute scientist and engineer, who came to the Mojave after the events in the Commonwealth, where they could search for new materials to help and rebuild the remains of Freeside, and maybe assist Independent New Vegas in the nearby future, all because of the Courier's help.

And after a week's worth, they managed to get it working.

"Well Six, good luck getting to the other side in one piece." Julie patted the Courier's armored shoulder. Said person looked towards her and gave her a thumbs up, as Julie nodded and proceeded to where Arcade was.

' _Well, my luck better not fail me now. All this progress and if something goes wrong… eh, I prepared Yes Man and the others on what to do when I somehow die or go missing._ ' The Courier thought. ' _Although, I do hope it doesn't come to that._ '

The reason behind the Six wearing heavy armor is because he wasn't sure if the relay would maybe amputate his arm or make him grow a bigger dick along the way. Even when the crate returned, he still was cautious. He brought the gear he usually has anyway, his Gobi Scout Sniper Rifle, his legendary .357 Magnum named Lucky, a weird variant of the All-American, and Blood's Nap, a special Bowie Knife if his weapons break. He also brought his Elite Riot Gear, in case he wants a change of clothes or something.

"Alright Six, here's the list." Arcade handed his friend the list of materials that could relate to his objective. "And come back safe man, we don't know what would happen if things go south."

The Courier placed a hand on Arcade's shoulder. " _Hey, I already prepared you all on what happens. And be sure to activate the Missile Defense Systems if the NCR or the Legion tries anything._ "

Arcade Gannon chuckled at his friend's last sentence. "'Course I will, buddy."

The Courier nodded and proceeded towards the relay's platform. He stood and faced the crowd, who were all watching Six get transported.

From one world to another.

"Six, you ready?" Arcade asked. The Courier just raised a thumb. Arcade nodded. "Alright, initiating teleportation sequence."

"Harvey, watch the clocks!" Julie yelled to the former Institute scientist.

"Roger that." The bored man replied, his gaze still on the screen in front of him.

"Beginning transport sequence in five..!" Arcade yelled.

' _Wait._ ' Six stopped in his tracks, and felt a chill go down his spine. His Pip-Boy's geiger counter is going wild. The sound rapidly repeating and the analog almost over the max limit.

"Four..!" Arcade continued.

"Wait Gannon!" Harvey yelled. Looking away from his screen.

"What, why?" Arcade asked, but didn't stop the transport sequence.

"This thing is going haywire!" Harvey replied.

 _Three.._

"What? What do you mean?" Julie asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"This relay looks like exploding!" Harvey said.

Julie's eyes widened. "Shit, Arcade stop the relay now!"

"I can't! It won't stop now!" Arcade replied, trying to do everything to stop the task.

The entire crowd was slowly panicking.

And the Courier somehow couldn't move.

" _Shit, the electromagnets on this thing's surface._ " Six muttered.

"Six! Get out of there now!" Arcade yelled, backing away from the terminal.

 _Two.._

The Courier tried prying his armored leg off the surface of the relay. But he had no choice, he grabbed a spare throwing knife from his ankle, and prepared to aim it towards the main system.

 _One.._

' _Shit!_ ' His radmeter went over the limit as the glass of the counter broke into fragments. He threw the knife towards the system unit. And his vision went in slow motion, as he saw the knife slowly fly to the main system. While his Pip-Boy screen was going heavily static.

 _Zero.._

' _Oh no._ '

Oh no indeed.

The knife managed to reach the unit, stabbing the blade smack into the second case. Electricity and its functions immediately stopped. As the terminal suddenly broke and every tech around the relay deactivated.

But not the relay _itself_.

The Courier felt a massive hole in his stomach, as it was growing abnormally. He then started to glow blue, a lightning bolt stabbing through his body, soon engulfing his body itself.

' _Woah, woah, WOAH!_ ' Six's thoughts screamed in pain.

Then after the build-up, the Courier disappeared in a flash, and so did the relay's activity.

That's when the entire Mormon Fort panicked.

* * *

Six became unconscious the second he saw the white explode. He was mid-air, floating to be specific. Above him was a heavenly color of blue, just ahead of him. And behind him was an orange-ish explosion happening. He was stuck in his state, and his armor was slowly deteriorating, fortunately it wasn't happening with his gear.

The metals plates around his armor was slowly crumpling, gaining a web of cracks. His visors suddenly broke into pieces, and his closed left eye could be seen.

Before the damage could escalate, he was suddenly engulfed by the blue shade, not before getting chased by the orange explosion too.

* * *

 _Near a rural farming village within the mountains.._

It was raining heavily. Sure it was just the end of spring, but the storms of the heavens caught on. The downpour was sure as heavy, it was nowhere near as a threatening storm however, more of a shower from the heavens. A rapid cold shower by the Gods.

Then a little way's out of the town's outskirts, a small explosion shaped of a mushroom cloud happened.

It rocked the town of course, but not really hard as some expected it to be.

In the explosion's crater, was an armored human figure. It's heavy and bulk armor looks broken like an angry minotaur crushed it with it's bare hands. The armored human was seemingly asleep from the explosion that just happened. Or maybe it was unconscious from the explosion itself.

And it wasn't long after he suddenly opened his eyes, thanks to the rain pouring over the broken left visor. After his eyes weakly and slowly opening, it was followed with a heavy breath. His head was slowly moving, and after a while, his entire body was dragging itself out of the radioactive crater.

Heavy sighs, long exasperated exhales could be heard if the rain wasn't pouring hard. Shivering and shaking bodies would be visible if not for the fog. The armored hand of the figure was still pulling it's own body out of the hole. But then fatigue overwhelmed the person.

This person isn't really familiar with the feeling of getting tired. He could go on for a week without sleeping, or 5 miles with two crippled legs. But he never felt this much fatigue in a very long time.

Not until back in Goodsprings. Two bullets to the head.

Then the person tried to overcome it, by trying to stand to it's feet.

But of course, reality wouldn't accept it. And so he collapsed on his stomach. While parts of his disfigured armor slowly fell off the frame.

The rain and his fatigue put him to sleep, and it wouldn't be too long until someone would find him.

Just when the rain stopped and the skies went bright, birds chirping and flowers blooming. On days like these, it should be filled with an amount of peace right?

No. As an old man came out of his farm, finding a crater near his home. He ran to where it was, as he saw an armored figure, seemingly knocked out. He approached the figure, and asked with a heavy voice, "Are you alright?

….

No response.

The old man tried shaking him, which didn't wake him up. He was about to feel hopeless until the figure pulled his collar and pulled him near enough to be able to hear.

" _Please, help…_ " The figure somehow spoke. The man was terrified, for a second. Until the figure let go of his grip.

He didn't know what to do, but he had an idea on where to go.

* * *

 _"...What is this..?"_

 _"...someone from that crater.."_

 _"You pulled...out?"_

 _"..Sor...ta….."_

 _"...he needs he..lp, he said so… self.."_

 _"Fine...paying for his con.. Understood?"_

 _"Ye… sister."_

* * *

Sister Aina was on her guard ever since they assigned her to watch this mysterious man from the crater. Everyone in town had already heard about it, some explosion happened in the middle of the night three days ago. And what came out of it was an armored man. Looking really battered and destroyed. The person looked young. Somewhere in his 20's. The young shaggy hair and the cute face, made him really young.

If not for the amount of scars his entire body had. From head to toes.

What brought him was an old man, looking like his grandchild was in danger, and had nowhere else to go but to the people he knew he could heal them. It was surprising, that old man managed to carry almost an 800kg man cased in the bulky armor. It was hard to even remove it in the first place, they soon found out how to open it with a valve from the back.

It was surprising, as the armor was _too_ advanced to even be here in the first place.

She looked again at the man. Whose waist was wrapped in bandages and his left eye covered with a gauze. Then she looked back on when the sisters looked at the man's scars. They were very disturbed, as even adventurers usually don't have as plenty as this certain person.

So whomever this man is, he has endured plenty.

Plenty.

" _Grghh…_ " She heard a groan. The man's hand suddenly twitched, then slowly it began to clench itself. Then it was followed by a flutter of eyes.

With that, Sister Aina called for Sister Flor.

* * *

 _Six wasn't in the Mojave anymore. Neither the Big MT, nor the Zion Canyons, hell, not even the Sierra Madre, or even the damn Divide. No, he was in hell, a hell he does not want to come back to. Let alone see it again._

 _He was at his home. His home where he decided to be a runner for the Mojave Express. His home where he had to live with his parents who loved him so much. His home where he stayed for the most part._

 _And now his home was burnt to a crisp._

 _And same with those skeletons in front of him._

 _And the Courier wasn't even crying, he was.. bored._

 _He was bored that his parents died. He was bored that he killed his parents._

 _And he didn't even blink when he still stared at the remains of his folk._

 _Maybe it's time for you to wake up._

 _Or you do have to wake up._

* * *

"..wake up!" Sister Flor said once more, as the man started groaning, and his eyes still squinting. He then started to sit up, and then inspecting his surroundings.

"Easy, easy there.." Flor repeated, but the man seemingly ignored him.

He continued to sit up, and asked, " _Wh-where am I?_ "

"You're in an orphanage.." Flor answered, but the man flicked his ear. As if there was something wrong with it.

And he confirmed it himself, " _I-I can't hear.. through my right ear_."

"Are you okay?" Sister Aina asked. But he seemed to ignore her too.

"Get gramps, sister." Aina nodded at Flor's request.

Aina rushed out of the room, while the man kept asking questions.

" _Who-who are you, people?_ "

"I am Sister Flor. You are in the-"

" _Wh-where is my armor? My g-gear?_ "

"It was destroyed, I-!"

As the man tried to sit up, he fell off the bed instead. With that, the bleeding in his waist began again. He swore he heard the old woman curse, but his right ear couldn't confirm that. Flor came to his side though, and tried to lift the man up. Although with his weight and her strength, it wasn't pulling off.

" _Oh God, now I can't feel anything.. my-my head..!_ "

* * *

' ** _Truth is, the game was rigged from the start._** '

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hey, my name's dereturd. I'm a new writer in this site (well not really because I made an account years ago), but I'm an experienced writer. I came from FiMFiction, and that's where I wrote my stories. Didn't think of writing here because I thought the UI would be hard to write into. But since I wrote this chapter, I guess it's not that bad.**

 **Anyway, I hope this shows promise. Since I saw that one FalloutxDanmachi fic that seemed discontinued, I thought I'd write my share of fanfiction with a new series I got hooked into. But just like that other Fallout crossover, I don't want the Courier to be getting any pairings. Although I planned to use some characters as good friends with him. However, I hope I tried to make this fic as far from the Fallout crossover I talked about. This first chap may look suspicious if compared or something.  
**

 **Anywho, that's for another chapter. I'll answer any questions or add some clarifications on the next chapter. Since I'm new to writing in this site, please tell me if I'm supposed to do this or not do that and stuff. See ya.**


	2. From Hell and Heaven

**Author's Note: Hey, merry new year readers. So here's a chapter 2 to the story. Now, I'm gonna be sorry for about.. the next 2 chapters along with this one. Because it won't have the fun Fallout and Danmachi stuff you guys seemingly want. I'm just doing this for the build-up of the story and yeah, you guys gotta wait. Besides, once you read through this, Six and his relationship with Aina (along with the next chapter) you'll find it pretty plastic and hollow. So yes, I know it's a waste of time.**

 **And to be honest, finishing this chapter didn't really satisfy me for a bit. So you might expect some rewrites here and there.**

 **I'll have another Author's Notes at the end, so expect some other clarifications. But for now, I'll have to reply to some reviews.**

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 **Reply to HALO343: Thank you for the read, I hope you'll stick around for the story!**

 **Reply to Twitch: Oh, he has some spare explosives. And he has 3 _special_ explosives he saved up in his pocket, so I'm hoping I could use those.. hehe.**

 **Reply to Guest(1): No need to flatter me with those. But I think you'll like this type of Courier (I hope), his stats will be revealed at a later chapter. Also, by the time Six rolls into Orario, that's the time Bell would've met Ais and gained his Liaris Freese skill.**

 **Reply to Blinded in the bolthole: He's definitely a Wildcard in this story. A lot of aces up his sleeves and the knowledge of a jack-of-all-trades kind of Courier.**

 **Reply to Da Floof Cleaner: Ah well, you might be a bit disappointed with his initial reaction. Although, he'll have a running gag (I think) throughout the story. But don't worry, once he gets up in Orario, the fun starts there. Especially for me, haha.**

 **Reply to Ediros: I'm sorry that you hate Fallout: 76. I could guess your behavior is because of that bad game, so I'm cool with how you reacted. If you do not wish to read the story, it's fine. Bug Virginia ruined Fallout in this age.**

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 **For the others, I have already PM'ed a reply. I'll only put replies here in case I can't PM you. I'll try to answer as many as I could with the next reviews. With those out of the way, I'll carry on with the chapter.**

* * *

 **2 - From Hell and Heaven**

After getting his bandages replaced, he told them his name. Told them to call him, 'Six'. As he was better off being called that than Courier. Sister Flor then talked to the old man outside, whereas Sister Aina and Sister Diane came to his side and tried to speak with him.

"Are you.. an adventurer?" Aina asked.

Six only shook his head.

"What is that thing on your wrist?" Diane spoke.

Six was silent, although he just realized he still had his Pip-Boy attached.

"It seems like you endured a lot with those scars, what have you been facing?" Aina asked.

Six only chuckled, which slightly surprised the two.

" _Tell me,_ " Six finally spoke. " _what's your world like?_ "

This question baffled much of the two. "Wh-what?" Aina asked.

" _..is this world peaceful? Less wars? Violence still a thing?_ "

"Well, you can say it is peaceful and it has minimal amount of wars- unless you count the war games, but still, people are violent as ever." Diane said. "Although saying that, makes it less peaceful."

" _Well, at least it's not hell. Not like my hell. A hell I managed to get used to._ "

"What do you mean by that?" Diane asked.

Six was about to continue, until the door opened with Flor and the old man. Flor spoke, "May we have the room?"

"Yes sister." The two immediately answered in unison. It took a moment of silence for them to continue speaking once the two sisters were out of the room.

The one who spoke first was Six. " _I'm guessing you're the man who saved me..?_ "

The old man nodded. "Yes. People would rather call me gramps, or old man. Yours..?"

He was asking for his name, and Six properly replied with a weak smile. " _Six. I prefer to be called Six than Courier._ "

Gramps raised a brow, "And why is that?"

Six shrugged weakly. " _Sounds a bit formal to my liking._ "

Gramps let out a grunt, before continuing on. "You're lucky I'm the one who found you and took you here."

Six chuckled, as if he knew something. " _Yeah, why did you even pay for my stay here?_ "

The old man's eyes went slightly wide, surprised at Six's findings. "Well.." He remembered a reason. "..you remind me of an old friend, who had a grandkid. Although, that old friend passed away ages ago."

Six closed his eyes, and said with a solemn voice, " _You have my sympathies._ "

He smiled after saying that. ' _Reminds me of Joshua Graham._ '

Now it was Sister Flor's turn to speak. "Six, with the armor you have brought.."

That thought immediately went into Six's head. " _Yeah, where is it by the way?_ "

"It is in the basement." Six let out a relieved sigh. "Going back, the looks of it, it seemed you weren't from here."

Six sneered. " _Obviously._ "

"We will continue aiding you back to your feet, after that, you're on your own." Sister Flor said. "But, in exchange, Old Man and I would want to hear more of your story."

Six raised a brow, " _How I got here or..?_ "

"Only how you got to this place, kid." Gramps answered.

" _Well, get some food people._ " Six said, slowly sitting up, preparing his voice. " _I'll just tell you the whole thing._ "

After some time, he explained how he and a group of people thought of using the ability to teleport places, so that they can help their disastrous community. Although Six didn't give the name of Freeside, so he left it at that. With the help of some smarter people, he and his friends made the teleporter possible. However, some mistakes happened, and that's how he ended up on this side of the galaxy.

Or rather, in his words, how he ended up on this side of the _planet_.

So he just made up a fictional place for them to guess whether it is true or not.

And after telling them the story, it seems they were quite convinced. Well, with Six's speech at max level, who would get past his lies and reasons?

"I am sorry for you to have suffered all through that, Mr. Six." Sister Flor said with solemnity.

But Six just slurred his tongue. " _Please don't call me that, just Six will do._ "

Flor nodded. "Very well."

" _Now can I ask my questions?_ " Six said. With both of them nodding. " _What—no, where am I?_ "

Flor sighed. "I already told you, you're in—"

" _Not the place where I'm currently in. The place where this village is at._ " Six interjected, sounding slightly rude.

"You're in a small village in the mountains. Although I forgot the name of this side of the planet, perhaps when you get back to your good health, you may ask the local librarian." Gramps answered.

Six nodded. " _Speaking of which, my next question. When do I fully recover?_ "

"At best, tomorrow. At worst, the next two days." Flor answered.

Six seemed to register this idea with not much problem. " _Okay then. And next question, where do I find someone who is knowledgeably smart?_ "

And this is where Flor and Gramps hit a dead end. "Well," Gramps started. "the librarian may help you, as I've said."

" _Okay._ " Six thought with a finger on his chin. " _Lastly, how long was I out for?_ "

"A day." Flor replied.

" _Very well._ " Six slowly thought of his next steps. " _Thank you for answering my questions. Now I just wanna take a nap or sleep or something.._ "

"We'll leave you to yourself." Sister Flor said, starting to stand from the seat she sat on. And so did Gramps. They headed for the door, as Six fixed his position on the bed. Before they could leave, Flor added, "If you need anything, call out for Sister Aina."

Six could only nod before they left the room.

He waited a bit for them to walk away further, hoping that they don't see Six. Once they're gone, the Courier dug through the pants he's been wearing. Once so, he pulled out a stimpak from his hidden inventory. He stabbed it on a certain artery, before seething in pain and pulling it out faster.

He felt genuine pain instead of a stimulating effect. He wondered why, so he hid his stimpak again and just tried to go to sleep. But he didn't, as he waited and tried to drift off into slumber, he felt another surge of rage. And his mind coming up with reasons why he was angry.

He tried to silence the anger, but then one reason managed to stand out among the others he made up.

Even he tried to close his eyes, and yet, nothing worked.

So he wished for the fatigue to instead sweep him away into darkness.

* * *

When Sister Flor and Gramps left the room, they were slightly suspicious about Six's story. Once they made their way to the base floor, that's where they started to talk.

"The nerve of that man, how he spoke..!" Flor said, with a very obvious frustrated face.

"Easy now Flor. He was sent to this unknown end of the planet by mistake. Cut him some slack." Gramps said, trying to back Six's story.

"And that's the thing, it sounds fishy to me." Flor stated.

"Well that is true.. something of teleportation magic? Aren't those things long gone by now?"

"I… I do not know. Perhaps we can ask Sister Haruhi or maybe Noriko in the library." Flor suggested.

"Well, I think that time will make do for another day." They both reached the entrance. "Thank you for your hospitality Flor."

"Humph, get back on your farm old man." Flor said with arms crossed.

Gramps waved a goodbye while yelling something towards Flor. To which she didn't bother to hear at all.

* * *

Six couldn't sleep.

Wow, how did this work? Six, the man who cheated death. Decided the fate of a wasteland, and changed it along with the others forever, cannot sleep?

He chuckled as he thought of that. ' _Wow, classy loser. Aren't you, Six?_ '

He decided to read some book rather about this world. He was lucky that he remembered that this place is a new world, and used that to make up some sort of faraway and isolated civilization in this planet.

" _Sister Aina_." He called out, hoping it wasn't too loud or too bothering for the sister.

And after a short moment, the door opened. Revealing the young, green-haired Sister Aina. "Yes.. Six?"

" _May I have some books about.. the history related to this.. area?_ " He couldn't make up a speech for this, seeing as how he doesn't want to make it obvious that he isn't from this planet.

"Sure. I'll be back." She says, rushing out the door.

' _Ninnghhhhhhh…_ ' Six then slapped his right ear, the white nose and it's muffled sounds it gathers seriously annoying him.

Now some thought suddenly creeped into Six's mind. Which ran fear through him.

" _Where the hell is the satellite?_ "

* * *

"DR. 0! WHERE IS THE PROBE THAT THE LOBOTOMITE MADE US DO?!" Dr. Klein shouted across the room. The one in his sights, Dr. 0, was suddenly startled with his name being called.

He stammered. "I-I don't know Klein! Why not ask Borous about it, he—"

"YOU'RE THE ONE IN-CHARGE OF OUR EXTERNAL DEVICES AREN'T YOU? FIND IT!" Dr. Klein rudely interjected.

He swore he heard Dr. 0 curse at him or his sensors were getting old. "Okay, okay.. I'm in the middle of something here.." After a few moments, Dr. 0 returned with the results.

And it looks like that Klein wouldn't like to hear it.

"Uhmm…" Dr. 0 pondered, wondering if telling Klein about the satellite is a good thing or not.

"WELL?" Dr. Klein waited for a response.

Nervousness aside, Dr. 0 spilled the beans. "Ok! It's in another planet like it was meant to..!"

Surprisingly, Klein wasn't too worried with the fact. "OH, OK. I GUESS IT WORKED THEN.."

"That's the catch.." Dr. 0 added, letting his superior scientist face him. With a humming sound that looks to represent a serious 'what?'. "..the satellite made it's destination. But it looks to be beyond repair when it 'safely' landed in the area."

….

….

"GOD..DAMNIT 0..!"

* * *

"Here you go, Six." Aina said, handing him a handful of books relevant to his standards he said.

Six adjusted himself from the bed before taking the books. " _Thank you Sister.._ " Sister Aina nodded with a sweet smile before slowly walking away from the room. " _Oh, and another thing Sister._ "

She was surprised when he called out her attention again. "Yes, Six?"

" _Do you have anything that I can wear for my top?_ " He asked.

She pondered, thinking if there were any remains of clothing for the charity they did a few days ago. "Hmm, I'll check.." She said, leaving the room.

" _Hmph. Onto storytime I guess._ " Six muttered to himself, he opened the first book he had, and not even turning the first page, his Pip-Boy was notified of a new note. Somehow, the note was related with ideas that had 'city', 'locations', and the likes. Without stopping, he dropped the books to his side and opened the 'Miscellaneous' section of his 'Data' section. A new note as notified, one that still glows and not hollowed out like the rest.

The title interested Six. 'Orario Neighbors'. Without a need to stop, he started reading.

Then suddenly the door to his room opened. "Six, I found you something." Sister Aina bounced to him, with some clothing in her grasp. "Here, a jacket." She handed out to Six, who slowly took the piece of apparel and wore it. "In case there's a need to replace bandages, unzipping will easily do."

He found it really comfortable as soon as he wore it. Perhaps the woman thought of taking the most comfortable one just for Six? " _Wow, feels good to wear._ "

"No problem Six. If you need me, I'll be outside your door." Sister Aina said with a wave and another sweet smile. And if Six had paid any attention, a weak rush of blood on her cheeks.

' _Time to get serious._ ' Six said, cracking his knuckles.

* * *

Sister Aina closed the door with a sweet smile on her face and a feeling she has never felt before. She really couldn't help but.. help the man in need. He may have strange things, but that doesn't certainly stop her from getting to his side. Six may have opened a new door for this youthful one.

"Are you okay Aina-san?" A new voice came into her hearing. She looked towards whom, it was Sister Diane.

"Oh, Sister Diane." She acknowledged with a bow.

But she didn't acknowledge a weakly humored face of Diane. When she looked up to hear snorting, she found her friend laughing at her. She was baffled at first, before Diane clarified.

"It seems you found someone to your liking, eh Sister Aina?" Midway, Aina covered her embarrassed and flustered face. Her cheeks now obvious with a pink shade. All the while Diane laughed weakly at her expense.

"I-I.. I'm not th-there yet, y'know.." She stammered.

"Don't worry Aina-san. Give him time, and let him join you in your businesses. Perhaps he may feel something too." Diane reassured her friend, who seemed to relax from the tension a while ago. She added help by placing a hand on her shoulder, to which Aina felt and seemed relieved from it.

Then there was a sudden yell from the room Six was in, which startled the two. " _What the hell is this bullshittery?!_ " Being worried and all, Sister Aina and Diane entered the room.

"Ar-are you okay, Six?" Aina asked with worry.

" _Yeah I am. Just finding this book a bit too ridiculous for my liking._ " He said, waving off their presence and not even letting out eye contact towards the two.

"Ah, I see. Sorry for bothering you then." Diane said, pulling Aina and herself out of the room for Six to relax further.

* * *

Six couldn't believe it.

Sure he had encountered many strange and unnatural things, aliens, Tunnelers, grenades that explode like mini-nukes, the Sierra Madre itself, and among many more.

But nothing surprised him like the idea of fiction becoming reality. The fact that elves, dwarves, a race of midget people, Amazonians and others exist.

And when he encountered the fact of 'magic'.

" _What the hell is this bullshittery?!_ "

As he exclaimed, the door flung open with a pair of sisters looking worried, as if Six dropped a glass of water.

"Ar-are you okay, Six?" Aina asked with concern in her voice.

" _Yeah I am. Just finding this book a bit too ridiculous for my liking._ " Six replied, not even bothering to look from his Pip-Boy and face the two.

"Ah, I see. Sorry for bothering you then." Diane said, before she pulled Aina out of the room.

" _Okay, gotcha._ " Six absentmindedly said.

The words of the book downloaded into his Pip-Boy was surely making him squirm. He was not prepared for this fact, he thought this world was uninhabited before coming here as he thought. But with the mere presence of a fictional beast, okay, he draws the line.

He was gonna have a field day with reading through this—

' _HOLY SHIT, IN THE NAME OF CROCKER'S BLACK ASS!_ '

He was struck braindead when the book explained the existence and presence of _Gods_ and _Goddesses_ in the surface.

* * *

By the time 2'o clock passed by, Sister Flor visited Six in order to tell him some changes. One, she told him of his new room. A basement below, it was formerly the storage room. But an old friend used that spot to help the orphanage, so Flor thought the room would make good use for Six's presence.

Secondly, she told him to open up his hoodie. To which he did, and from there, Sister Flor replaced Six's bandages.

From the quiet process of switching Six's bandages, someone had to speak.

" _When can I walk, Sister Flor?_ " Six asked out of the blue.

"Sometime in the afternoon maybe. Give it half an hour or so, you might be back on your feet." Flor replied as she slowly removed the wrap on his waist.

Six was very curious as to how his arrival here damaged him greatly. Surely he would've been fixed with some stimpaks, but something here made the healing dangerously slow, as he needed to find a way home immediately.

Unbeknownst to him, it'll take even longer to actually do the process of going back.

" _Aren't you, angry in the slightest.. that a stranger is under your care all of a sudden. And even he's acting like an asshole?_ " Six asked, as he wants to know if he's being a burden or not.

Since she looks like some religious person of the Children of Atom, maybe she'd deny it.

Flor doused some substance on his very large open wound, and grabbed a fresh set of bandages. "Clearly, I look cool and composed. In truth, I am very pissed off. Maybe just as you are, because of that old man coming here without my notice. At a time right now, we aren't doing so well."

Six couldn't help but snicker, as if he thinks this is some chance to prove himself like how he does with others. Always him moving the stuff around. " _You want my help? As soon as I could walk again?_ "

Six didn't even know if he was genuine in wanting to help or not. But it felt as if this was some force of habit. Flor, on the other hand, looked surprised. She started wrapping around the wound again for the second time, while contemplating a reply for Six.

"What do you know of _help_ , Six?" Flor replied with venom mustered in her mouth.

Six chuckled at this. " _Oh please, just because I'm an asshole doesn't mean I don't want to play my part. Just between you and me, I'm the guy who's in-charge of an entire city. So yes, I can help._ "

Flor was surprised, he sounded convincing. Even with his young appearance, he sounds like he plays his own part in the game. She finished the final wrap on his waist, and picked up the alcohols and bandages. "You can take off your gauze by now."

Immediately, Six tore it off without care. As it did, he didn't even struggle in pain whilst Flor cringed at the sight. "Can I ask you two things?" Flor pointed to his zipper. As Six closed his hoodie up.

" _Go right ahead._ "

"How old are you?" She placed the items in their places.

" _Right now? 39 years of living._ " Flor weakly gasped at this. " _Surprisingly, I thought the Divide would be the one to kill me off._ " He commented with a snicker.

"You look pretty young for your age." She said, closing up the cabinets.

" _That a compliment?_ "

"No, it's a fact." Flor finally faced Six. "Now, my second question. Can you finally stand up?"

" _Pff, I thought it'd be a little while more._ " Six said.

"I'm asking so that I don't have to put you in a wheelchair. Now can you walk or not?" Flor repeated.

Six raised his upper body with the help of his arms. He guided himself with his strength, next he took his legs off the bed and onto the floor. His feet felt the surface clearly now, wood. Then he placed his strength on his legs, but it felt that there was a little pressure on it. He used his right arm to lift himself up, to which it worked successfully. He let out an exasperated sigh, as he finally stood. Not straight, but still with his legs barely functioning.

"It seems you can stand, although I'm assuming you won't be able to walk right properly right now." Flor said, which lessened the mood of Six for a slight bit.

" _If so, I won't take the damn wheelchair._ " Six replied.

"No need, all you need is this.." Flor bent down onto the low cabinet and got herself one of those canes that elderly people use to guide themselves when walking. And it seems, Six needs one at most right now.

She reached out her arm with the cane on hold, as Six grabbed it and started using it as a guide. The man walked with the help of the stick, if the cane wasn't in his hands, he would've fell on his knees by then. But luckily, it's just making him drag his weak ass body for now.

Although, his deaf right ear still isn't helping.

"Can you walk by now?" Flor asked.

" _Seems like it._ "

"Ok then. Just follow me." They both walked out of the room, and from there, they met the orphanage's hallway. Just across from Six, are the steps to the main floor. And to his left, was likely the spare room Sister Flor had been speaking of. Both went down, and with Six having a hard time walking, he was surely worried when he had to trek down the small set of stairs.

They made it down. With Six barely stable. From there, he got a good look at things. Seems there were several statues, all of which looking heavenly with the enormous wings on their backs. They were probably a Goddess. Although, from the sets of books he had asked for, he wasn't sure which one. Just past from the statues, a walkway into the actual room. A bed to the right, a sink and wardrobe to his left, and maintenance shelves on the sides. Filled with things that the orphanage needs.

" _Doesn't look so bad._ " Six said with a shrug.

"It better not be. Or else all that cleaning of mine went to waste." Flor added, making her way to the sink.

" _You cleaned it or did Sister Aina do it?_ " Six guessed with a chuckle, as he made his way to the shelves.

"Well.. that's for you to find out." Sister Flor checked the sink's water, and it seems fine. "Shower room's in the back."

Six tried to find a sack or something to put plenty of stuff that can have as much capacity and integrity as a punching bag. He needed a check-up on his own body to make sure he's not getting rusty or something. He was too scared to check the effects the explosion gave him. Other than radiation that is.

"Supper will be served at eight. So come early if you want to rest immediately." Flor said, waking Six out of his thoughts. The man in question simply nodded, before Flor continued up the stairs.

He waited for a bit, before convincing himself that Flor is out of the vicinity. And from there, Six rummaged through storage again.

* * *

Six stopped by the sink, just going to wash his hands before having a small nap. But one item caught his eye, a small teapot. And seeing it, gave him an idea.

Ever since he could feel his tongue taste again, the first thing he tasted was blood. Even though he tried to spit out, nothing could change the weird feeling of copper on your tongue. Maybe he thought this blood problem could be linked to his right deaf ear.

He filled the spot with water, and slowly, held the trinket and let the nozzle reach his nose. He poured a bit, and sealed up the other hole of his nose. And immediately, it took effect.

He started gurgling, followed with a feeling of getting choked. Afterwards, he removed that feeling by spewing out the water and the mass amount of blood on his nose. He spat out the remnants of blood in his mouth, even tried hurking out water.

He felt his mouth being bloody, but he didn't taste blood anymore.

That was a good sign.

Then what came next, was his right ear, slowly gaining it's senses. He flicked it, and the sounds it heard, he knew his ear was acting accordingly. He might've had a better way of repairing himself, especially with _Medicine_ maxed out. But he was desperate at this point, so any other way would've taken him longer. And time eats him up easily.

But Six couldn't believe it, he could hear properly again. And isn't feeling heavy with his head. He wiped the blood off his mouth, and foolishly tried to run to his bed.

By foolish, as soon as he sprinted his second step, he already tripped over.

' _Fuck me.._ ' He thought. But it didn't stop him. He practiced step by step, first walking with his cane. Followed with walking very slowly. Once he finds it easy, he tries jogging. Then, running. At this point, walking and running was like muscle memory. So then, he tried to sprint again.

And this time, without falling over. He didn't believe it, but he circled around the room he was in. He was walking fine now.

And now he had to give himself a challenge.

He grabbed two containers, and started doing pushups. Once satisfied, he tried pullups with the walkway's free bar. It felt easy. And it was certainly surprising Six. Then, he went back to finding and making his sack. After getting a black bag, he gathered items that were thick and hard, even with his strength. Things that acted near as sand.

He finished his punching bag, next on his list, he tried to find any sort of bandages. He found a batch underneath the sink. He looked over to the roll of fabric, he had his hand wrap. Now he can practice with the bag.

Grunt, another blow.

Three straight punches, followed by an angry hook.

Another relentless trio of punches.

Uppercuts right in the middle.

"What the hell are you doing..?" Six heard an elderly yell. Of course, Flor had to check on him at a bad time.

But it was also a good time to convince her that he was getting by fine.

" _I can move freely now. And my right ear seems to be okay. Plus, I'm trying to make sure that I'm not getting rusty_." He explained while going a few rounds on the punching bag.

Flor just shook her head and continued onwards. "Here's some books that Aina said you were particularly fond of." She said, settling the books on Six's bed.

Which lead him to stop completely and turn to Flor with an eyebrow raised. " _Aina said, what?_ "

"She told us you were telling her to gather books that had relation to the country, the locations.."

" _Yeah but, didn't expect her to pass it on.._ " Six said with confusion. Then proceeded to continue his work on the punching bag.

As Flor slowly continued upstairs, she asked Six something. "Would you, by any chance, go into town tomorrow?"

" _If it means sifting through the library and knowing some people around, then sure._ " Six replied without looking away from his target.

"Well, you might ask Sister Aina or Diane to accompany you. Besides, there's a festival tomorrow morning. And everyone in town comes by. You should try to join, you know?"

" _And what, 'make some friends'? For your information, I already have some._ " He said with a snicker, delivering a lower blow onto the bag. " _But sure, I'll tell Aina later she could join me at the festival._ "

Already, Flor smiled. She continued up the stairs, right before telling Six another regard that he may be interested in. She started by asking him a question.

"What, do you think of Aina?"

Six, was caught off guard hearing this. " _Psh, you ask this to every guest in your orphanage?_ " Flor looked unamused, while the Courier continued his rounds. " _She seems fitting for this type of environment. Even though she looks young, she feels older in my eyes. I guess she's a bit too happy when she's around friends or even me. Hell, maybe_ too _friendly._ "

Six then thought through the appearance of Aina. She looked young, possibly looking like a 16 year old. What with the cute pointed nose, a sweet smile, and her expressions itself. With her emerald eyes and the green hair, and said hair being bundled into a ponytail. Which looked a bit attractive for Six. Her voice, sounding like someone in her 30's. And it's a surprise if you don't pay attention to this type of stuff. But with Six having high _Perception_ , it's a piece of cake to analyze situations like these.

Flor chuckled at his answer. It seems Aina might have a keeper here. As she trekked the stairs again, she couldn't wait to tell this to—

" _Hey Flor._ " She heard Six call out his name, making her flinch.

She turned to meet him, and saw him stop his set on the punching bag and drank from his glass of water while maintaining his gaze at the elderly woman. "Yes?"

Six settled the glass as she says this. " _Do you need help with those financial problems?_ "

Flor was surprised at this. She thought he was just bluffing with him asking for his assistance in their personal matters. But his voice and look, he seemed pretty serious with this.

For an asshole, Six knew how to act kind.

Flor shook her head with a smile. "Maybe you could lend a hand."

Six then started taking off his handwraps. " _What would you want me to do?_ " Then suddenly, his Pip-Boy bleeped.

' _A new quest. Heh, things never get old._ ' Six thought, as he knew what that notification sound meant.

"We're being cornered in a non-existent debt by a landlord. He's a tough one to handle, since he came from Rakia." Flor said. And the word 'Rakia' rang a bell on Six's head.

He learned from it in a book he asked for, an entire country (well to him, it's more of a large city) that's an entire Familia on it's own. Being led and handled by the God; Ares. Of course, the God of War. The place is pretty unfair to others, given the fact that it invades and conquers lands like something that the NCR or the Legion would do. And hearing that an asshole from that place is staying here on guard, he knew he had to act. Besides, he knows he can finish this quest in a matter of minutes.

At the same time, he could use a form of reward.

Then, questions lingered in his mind.

" _Hold up, why would someone hold you over for a 'non-existent debt'?_ " Six asked. Surely he needs more details with this.

"I'm pretty sure he's just to leech off of our financial capabilities. However, we sisters aren't too much on assuming." Flor said, pausing as she gathered her next words. "He says that the entire village is indebted to him. As 'Rakia has taken control of this place', to which those warmongering evils never even invaded this place. And if anyone tries to cross him, he'd send a battalion of guards from Rakia at his own command."

So, they're taxing off this entire place. If they don't listen, they might crucify the citizens. And this is just some simple village, might Six add.

" _I see, I see._ " Six pondered, which lead him to his next question. " _Then that means the entire village is almost in a state of bankruptcy?_ "

"Yes, as a matter of fact. And with this, I think he plans on getting us bankrupt in the first place, so that Rakia can _officially_ take this place as their own."

Heh, Six already formed up a plan. Which then he asked the last question for now. " _Where's he holed up?_ "

"..do you plan on doing this task now?" Flor asked with concern. "I believe you're not in the right mind or condition to—"

" _No worries. I'm planning on doing this tomorrow. As soon as I leave the front door, I'm heading there first so when I get back here, it's already supposed to be taken care of._ " He explained, as he finished bundling up his handwraps into a roll.

Oh right, he almost forgot. His handwraps were bandages.

"Okay then. He's in a house near the exit to the village. You won't miss it, because it's guarded heavily by Rakian soldiers." Flor said. "But what about the festival plans—"

" _I'm going out as early as possible. Then I'm coming back here to fetch Aina for the festival._ " He explained calmly, as he downed the remains of the glass of water.

"Ok then. I hope you do this safely, we do not want an invasion happening right afterwards." Flor finished, finally managing to leave Six's room.

As for the person himself, he found himself smiling.

' _This'll be fun._ '

* * *

Gramps rang the bell for supper. And almost every kid in the orphanage heard it clearly, as their screams headed towards the cafeteria. The little ones in questions were rushing from their rooms, the playground, and even the bathroom to head towards the dining area. The nuns closed off the doors for the rough little ones to not escape, seeing as how these types of children are the stubborn ones apparently.

Then, there was a knock on the door towards the living quarters of the nuns. As they opened it, there was a battered in walking with a cane. Young and almost innocent, but was covered with bruises on his head.

Six didn't mind the attention, as he headed to where Sister Flor was at. Who was just going to start the nightly prayer before meals. He tuned out of it, seeing as how he's not really a man of religion. Never was he going for stuff like that, not even the New Canaanites like Daniel or Graham convinced him with the stories of the Lord or God. But he was being nice about it, and he was a tad bit curious too. Remembering when he visited Joshua Graham once for a storytelling about this, 'Lord' of his.

Once he was shared with books and parables. It was like literature to Six.

Then again, the idea of Godly presence to him was ruined when this world introduced him into a character list of Gods and Goddesses.

Once he heard the children started eating, he looked over to the nuns. Who just finished serving up the children, and decided to serve themselves to their food. Some nuns grouped up, he saw some Cat People nuns sitting with a.. midget nun?

He knew about Pallums and Prums, but calling them midgets were better for him.

Then there was an elf, sitting among three nuns. Two of which.. no, three of the others were nuns whom he already met. Then he saw the lone old man, serving himself rice and curry.

Truth be told, Six didn't really know what the old world food looked like. Sure there were the canned goods, Cram and Blamco stuff and all that, but real food.. that was something he never got to witness. Not even when he was in the Ultra-Luxe. Then again, what was ever _real food_ in that resort?

But when his eyes settled onto the pantry before him, he was astonished at the sight. He immediately took a plate and copied the manner of how others got their food. Plate, utensils, then serving themselves. Six served him everything that was in tonight's menu. It wasn't too big for him to eat, but not small either. Although, he does have the ability to eat as much as he wants back in the Wasteland. Right after that, he had to take a bag of Radaway.

He looked around for a seat, only to find Gramps and Flor eating together.. wait. Did Flor move from the table he used to see her in? He shook it off, as he made his way to the vacant one that had the elf in it. Surely they won't mind the rude guest barging in on their dinner. Of course, Aina and Diane were already sitting on said table.

Six is not that of an asshole, so when he approached the table, he gained their attention. " _Would you mind me sitting on this table..?"_

"We'd love to have you here." He heard Aina speak. "Please sit."

He sat on her word, settling his plate with theirs. And when they saw his, they were truly taken aback.

"Um, are you sure you can finish that plate, Six?" Diane asked. Pointing to his meal.

" _Yeah. You'll see._ " He says as he starts digging in.

"So, Six?" He heard Aina call his attention, to which he just raised his eyebrows at her. "Have you met Umeko Mehrunes?" She extended her hands to the elf beside him.

Said elf looked young like Aina and Diane. Her brown hair being short with a single strand across her blue eyes. This getting a bit weird for Six, as he just realizes that almost every nun in this room looked youthful than he thought of.

"Pleasure to meet you. But please, call me Umeko." The elf laid her hand on her chest, while speaking in a serious tone.

" _Umeko. I'm Courier Six. Although, you can call me Six._ " He extended her hand to her. To which the elf just ignored.

"Six. A very peculiar name." She says, still ignoring his extended hand.

" _Well, that's what the Express called me. Might as well roll with it._ " He says, lowering his hand.

"Express?" She asks.

" _Oh, I'm a former courier. That's why I'm called Courier Six. I'm the sixth of the batch._ " He explained, taking in a mouthful of vegetables and rice. " _Damn, this food is delicious. Who made it?_ "

"You're sitting with her." Diane said, pointing her thumb to Aina. Who surely had a small pink shade on her cheeks.

" _Oh, nice cooking then. Never tasted this good of a food in my life._ " Six complimented.

"O-oh! No, no! Please, you haven't even tried those rich people food yet!" She fiercely denied his compliment.

Six just shook his head as he swallowed his food. " _Nah, I've already tried those. Never tasted as divine as this._ "

At this rate, Aina would be eating up herself from the inside.

To be honest, in Six's view, it was delicious. Way delicious than the one good salad the Ultra-Luxe served. In fact, in his mind, he was absolutely enjoying his meal. It's just unknown to him that's complimenting someone at a wrong time.

What seemed to be seconds of him eating his meal, he heard the girls around him gasp. He looked over to them, as they were looking to him with a surprised face (well, Umeko didn't look _that_ surprised).

" _What?_ " Six asked, clueless.

"Your plate.. it's about to be empty." Diane pointed out, which just baffled Six.

" _So..? It's good food. I'll get my second serving after this, but don't worry. It'll just be a few._ " He says, finishing up his soup.

He just didn't get it, this world had different standards than his. And he was all looking dumbfounded about it.

As Six left the table for his second serving, it gave the girls time to banter. The first one starting to speak was Umeko. "I could slightly see why you like him, Aina. But.. it still does not convince me that he would be good for you."

Diane, however, was to disagree. "Hmm..? Come on, Umeko. Give it time, you'll get to know Six more."

"I.." Aina spoke up, alerting the two. "..I kind of got to know him better for a bit when I helped him with his loose knowledge of the world. I'm sure my experiences helped him fix his manners very much."

Umeko could only sigh. "I see. Though," Her expression turned dark. "If he hurts you in anyway. I will hurt him ten times more."

" _Hot damn! What do you call the one with red sauce?_ " They heard Six call out for Aina. Settling down back into his seat with less food.

For the rest of dinner, Six surely enjoyed his new company. A big change of pace from the usual wasteland hunting and questing. Once the kids settled into sleep, he helped with the dishwashing as he insisted on helping Umeko. At first, the silence made it seem awkward, but with Six opening up.. the conversation started from there.

Half of it was casual nonsense, but some surely made it serious.

" _Sorry for calling you out like this, Umeko-san. But,_ " He paused, where then Umeko's gaze fell upon him. " _I can tell you're more than meets the eye. Would you mind if I ask one personal question?_ "

Umeko weakly gasped at his observation. It seemed Six had the better eye than he lets on. She couldn't help but chuckle after, reminding her of her previous life. She could answer him, in exchange for a tale of his own.

"Very well, though I will gauge if I would answer it or not."

Six only nodded, and proceeded with his question. " _..I can tell you are very protective of Aina. What gives..?_ "

Six meant more than his question. He wanted to hear of Umeko's tale. He wanted to hear of her origins, well a short rendition of it. He saw her looks when they ate dinner, it was cold and also dead serious at most times. Especially on how he treated Aina at times, if he were to swear at her friend as a joke, she wouldn't take it lightly. If he complimented her friend, she would mutter something positive. And Six can just hear it with ease.. no, see through her with ease.

There wasn't another way back. She seemed convinced with him, and decided to tell her a short story of her life. "...in exchange for your own story."

Six simply nodded, and there, he heard a story. And for a story, a story of his own. Specifically, a story of his life before the two bullets that left a mark.

* * *

Six woke from his bed, seemingly used to the early getups. He sloppily remembered his night, the dinner, the talk, the story, and the pleasantries. Then, he remembered his quest. He decided to shower, his hygiene was never a problem for him. But this time, he would rather try to take a bath, maybe change things up a bit.

Six opened the shower to hot, since he knew how these things worked in the first place. He took off his clothes, and reflected over himself. The scars painted on his body, both large and small, surely looks disturbing for anyone to look at. He sighed disappointingly, because scars just make him look back over the painful and depressing shit in his life. From the time he chose to _massacre_ the White Legs, up to where he couldn't even save Dean Domino. One of his crewmates that he considered as a good friend.

He tried to forget it all in the shower, and thought over his plans instead.

When he returned to his room feeling very refreshed and more collected, he dropped out his Elite Riot Gear that was stored in his " _inventory_ ". He wasn't sure of the helmet, so he'll wait on that. After taking the pants, the armored boots, the LAPD Riot Armor and the armored overcoat, he decided to only prepare his sidearm. He didn't want to look threatening with an orange camo patterned sniper on his back, then again, this world is bare of any firearms. He hid his Lucky in his coat, and after taking another look through the mirror, he seemed prepared for the day.

' _Okay, head for the asshole Rakian, come back for Aina and do the festival. Then I head for the library right after._ ' He nodded absentmindedly at his own plans. Adjusting his jacket, he left for the cottage.

* * *

The orange haired man inhaled the morning air around him. Pulling the slider to let the wind sift through his dark purple kimono. He pulled his wakizashi out, hearing the metal swift through the air. It filled him with pleasure.

Ryoto was having another day like usual. Sure the townsfolk had some uproar about an uncommon visitor, but everything so far was going down the line. All he's missing is the orphanage's annual payment every three months. He gave them an extension, and by tomorrow, he would receive his payment and wait a little more, until Ares would be pleased that another village would be converted under his wing.

He could not let his God down. Besides, he's the God of War, if you fuck up, he'll fuck your life up more. Then again, Ryoto is one of his faithful warriors he has blessed.

Ryoto called out to his personal guard in-charge, while waiting, he looked over the balcony that overlooked the village. Remembering that his cottage isn't that impressive compared to the other buildings in the area.

"You called, Officer?" He heard one of his trusted ones talk behind him. Ryoto turned, facing the armored man like every other warrior in Rakia. Except this one had a darker shade of armor and bore horns on his helmet.

"Yeah, I have a special request this time around." He walked over to his desk, pulling the first drawer out and snatched a necklace. Not just any necklace, it was a _Mark_. A silver coin being held by a black wire, the item holding great value. "Hand this Mark to the guards at the door. I'll be having a guest, I would make sure he wouldn't be disgraced by my first impression."

Ryoto turned again to the balcony, as he saw the lone armored figure in the distance. Walking his way to the cottage, and an ominous aura surrounding him.

"Hm, it seems this meeting holds great purpose. At your will, Officer." The guard in-charge bowed weakly, before turning away and heading out of his personal room.

Still, Ryoto's gaze still lied over the man who was about to near his home. His presence meant business, and business _only_. He felt that if he tried something, something bad would happen. He would not have that, especially not with a person he could scan something threatening.

"Hm, I won't fail this time." He muttered to himself, before pulling out a bottle from his kimono and took a swig.

* * *

" _Excuse me, yes you._ " Six pointed to a guard beside the cottage's door.

"You need something?" The armored man spoke with an old voice, but muffled by his helmet.

" _Yeah. I would want to speak to your boss._ " The Courier stopped his tracks just ahead of the door.

"Hm.." The guard beside him opened his palm, revealing a silver coin connected to a black wire. "Flip this Mark, then if it's tails.. you'll get an in."

Six took the Mark from the open palm, inspecting around the item. " _And if I get a heads?_ "

"Then you'll have to duel with one of us." He replies.

" _Hmph, good enough._ " He says, easily flipping the coin with his thumb. As it spun, then landed on Six's catching hand. He slapped the Mark on his backhand, then revealed a blank side. " _Tails._ "

He swore he heard the guards gasp, as if it meant something big. "Ri-right this way, sir!"

Six weakly raised a brow at their initial reaction, before shrugging it off and continuing on into the house. As the guards closed the door behind him, that's where they started talking. "Holy sh-shit.. that guy's an evil one.."

"Talk about luck.. that guy didn't use chance.."

Six brought his eyes all around the room. He found a set of stairs just slightly to his left, then there's a room to his west that lead to what it seems to be a dining area. Then just in front of him, was an orange haired man wearing some sort of cloth, and the living room beside him—

" _Oh, didn't notice you there._ " Six said with slight surprise. ' _Strange, that guy must be fast for my Pip-Boy._ '

"Heh, I was wondering when you would bring your gaze upon me." The man snickered as he pulled out his wakizashi. "So.. what brings you to my humble abode, the _chosen one_?"

" _Chosen one?_ " Six asked, almost mistaken for his world's the _Chosen One_.

"Well, since I heard you got 'Tails' on your mark, you're the chosen one. And let me tell you, Lord Ares made every Challenge Mark incapable of getting a tails. Which is why only few got to talk to me, and those few just barely won those duels with my guards. Hell," He eyed the man's device strapped on his wrist. "maybe that machine did some of the work, huh?"

He simply shook his head, letting out a sigh as he watched him inspect his blade with thorough eyes. " _Huh, maybe I got that two-headed coin flip luck, eh?_ "

"Let's get to business. Why are you in my home?" The man's former demeanor quickly took a change.

" _Better yet, you want to say;_ my future home _?_ " Six asked, and behind the man's façade, he scarily knew what he meant. " _Yeah, I caught wind of people being taxed out, until they can barely afford any caravan deliveries._ "

"..caravan?" He asked, as if expecting an answer.

" _And those taxing obviously led to your doorstep. I'm here to say that; you should stop doing what you're doing, now."_

The man snorted, as if he'll follow his rules. "I've had enough of your foul words, guards! Get him out of my sight." He turned his back on him, as he heard the thumping of metal boots around the property.

" _Oh, trust me man. You do not want to do this.._ " He heard Six call to him.

"And why is that?" The man asked, without looking back at Six.

Six was now surrounded by 5 guards, two of which were beside his shoulders, seemingly ready to drag him out of the house. "Sir, please step away from— NUGH!"

The guard got hit by a hard elbow, and as the receiving end of it, fell down from the impact. The Courier followed up by catching the guard to his right swing out his sword on him, he threw his fist onto his arm, breaking through the armor and forming an irregular angle on said arm. The guard winced in pain, then felt his body get thrown to his teammate. Six then ducked underneath the horizontal slash of the fellow Rakian, then followed up with an uppercut and jab to it's armored face, before piercing through the armored chest with his bare hand.

The guard gagged in pain, as his entire torso had a hole being impaled by someone's bare arm. And he was armored in steel too! It would be hard for some nobody adventurer to dent the plate, let alone damage it. But this fool in front of him killed him off, and he died being at disbelief.

Six pulled back his arm, as the guard he punched through fell down with a thud. He watched a guard underneath the one he threw at him slowly get up, before walking up to him and crushing his head with the underside of his boot.

"YAARRGHH-!" He heard the man scream in pain, as the metal helmet was slowly warping out. "AAGHHH!" The screams escalated, while he felt the helmet almost bend over.

Until a certain man shoved him off. He looked over to the orange haired man, who wasn't in a battle stance, but looked like he wanted an explanation.

Ryoto was sure that he can't take on this guy, if the guards on his door couldn't even believe that he was the chosen one, then he can surely believe he can single-handedly take down the entire Rakian unit in this area.

The only sound that resounded the entire room was of the guard breathing in pain.

"All right! What are your demands?!" Ryoto yelled at him. Still seemingly unfazed.

" _Leave this place, alone. Or else I'm walking up to Rakia itself and tell everyone there to kiss the blackest part of my ass._ " He said with viciousness in his voice. And surely, with Ryoto witnessing his guard in-charge and his other good ones taken down, then the fact he can flip through the mark with ease.. was enough reason to listen and believe him.

"A-all right, all right. If you want too, I can give back the tax money we sucked off from this place." His voice shattering, with the man in front simply nodding.

" _Good, you do that. By the time the festival ends, you'd be out of this settlement in no time. Or else, I'll make sure every last one of you would eat through a straw._ "

Ryoto only nodded in frustration, before heading up to his own room.

And with Six's business finished, he headed out the door and didn't even look back at the guards.

His thoughts looked back on how he penetrated that fully armored man, and he hadn't even used VATS. That was.. unnerving, Six couldn't even comprehend how strong he could be in this world if metal like that could be pierced by him. He'd be surprised if that was one of the weaker metals, but if not..

He shook off those thoughts and continued on. Now he just has to fetch Aina and let the festival begin.

* * *

Sister Aina had some routines every _Komma_ _festival_. And she was already done with the first two, where she had to cook up breakfast and maybe brunch for the little ones. Then, tend to the gardens and some of the dogs. Her last part however, hoped that Umeko can cover her sloppy feeding of the rascals. She wasn't as sharp as she was back in the kingdom..

Oh well, she let that slide for now. All she needed to do currently was to change up and head for the main part of the festivity.

She pulled the door towards the living quarters of her fellow Sisters, however, a tall armored man suddenly bumped into her. "O-oh! I'm sorry.." She looked over to the man's face, and it was Courier Six.

" _Oh, hey there Aina-san. I was actually finding you._ " Six stated.

Then suddenly, the green haired woman felt a bit of warmth come from her face and chest. "Oh! Re-really?"

Six just nodded. " _I was.. told by Sister Flor to spend the day of the festival with you. I was like; sure, sounds fun. I might meet new people along the way too._ "

"That sounds like a plan, maybe I could introduce you to some neighbors." Aina commented.

" _Sounds good. You ready to go?_ " He asked.

"Um, I'll just head to my room and change.. if you'll excuse me." She says, her voice fading with every word as she slipped by him and walked to her room with a brisk pace. Six slouched on the wall beside him, then checked his Pip-Boy.

He just remembered he had finished his quest, informing of Sister Flor and Gramps that the orange haired man was to be rid from this town. Adding that he and his lackeys should leave by the time the Festival ends. However, it wasn't easy to finish when both of them voiced their concerns, that the Rakian army might try an invasion or something. He reassured them that he had the man totally convinced, and if they were to get attacked.. well, they have a former hitman in their midst. Or should he say, _hitwoman_?

He scrolled over the _Miscellaneous_ notes his Pip-Boy had downloaded from books. He already knew of where he should go from this place, but he had to prepare his things on his way to the center of the world. And the fact he should find a caravan leaving tomorrow as soon as possible.

Of course, he heard some murmurs of a recent _Supply Runner_ trading caravan hitting up shop in town, today. Hopefully, they would leave tomorrow or convince them to bring a caravan up to where he should go.

It's mostly a 3-day trip, he would only be the lookout while the caravan slowly trekked their way to Orario.

"Okay then Six, let's get going..!" He heard the call of a woman, letting down his Pip-Boy as he looked to the source.

" _Alright then Ainaa…_ " His voice died out, and was certain his eyes surely widened, being caught off by the change of appearance Aina did. He surely thought it was just simple clothes, maybe a dress or some tank top.

Then again, this isn't the Wasteland. As he was looking over what seems to be a woman of his age, her green hair now tied in a knot instead of a small extension of it. Her figure, dressed in a black buttoned up shirt with her white undershirt being visible, her black sleeves reaching up to her wrist. Then the black leggings, along with the simple brown shoes.

The look made her look all the more.. young. Her former attire made her look like some maid, and less of a nun. Now, she looks like a king's young adviser. Or maybe a type of officer within the monarchy rankings.

"Hm? Anything wrong with what I'm wearing, Six?" She asked with a weak grin.

Six just shook his head slightly. " _None, it's just.. no offense, when you wear that nun attire, you look more of a waitress instead. Now.._ " He raised his arms to this. Then let out a slight whistle. ".. _you look like some chamberlain woman for the royal family or some shit._ "

Aina just chuckled at his description. "No worries, I don't find it offending. Heh, in fact I'm flattered for complimenting me like that."

Secretly, she was slightly surprised on how specific his example was. A former officer within the royal family..

" _It wasn't a compliment. To me, that looks like the obvious._ " He said.

Then there was a weak shade of red on her cheeks again. "O-oh, okay then."

" _Well, let's get going then. We don't want to miss this shindig, right?_ " Six says, walking to Aina's side, picking up her basket she placed on the floor when she stepped out the door.

She nodded, joining him by his side as they walked out of the hallway, and out of the orphanage.

* * *

"Good morning friends! And welcome to the 29th anniversary of the Komma Festival!" A tall slender blonde cheered out, with the community cheering right after. "Thank you all, so much for making this special occasion happen once more. For being a community that works together and together means.."

"Forever!" The crowd resounded, as if knowing what he was meaning to say next.

"Ahahaha! It seems all of you still follow on! Oh..?" He then eyed a certain person in the audience, a black haired man, armored in green. Watching him do his act up stage. A new comer, eh? "Well, we have a new person in the community my friends! Look at your back, the man wearing the green armor! Welcome him everyone!"

The entire crowd looked behind them, and when they saw the person, they all greeted him warmly. With the green haired woman beside him, sending a sweet smile towards his way."Hehehe! Anyway, enjoy your time for now! The main event will come by later! Thank you all once again!" The blonde haired man bowed, as the audience that gathered upon the stage clapped at his welcoming ceremony. And from there, the townsfolk split into their own way, heading to different booths, shops and contests.

Certainly, the main street was bound with life. As that's what Six thought when he watched the entire ceremony happen in his eyes.

First was him smiling, a genuine happy smile. One that he scarcely had done, the most recent was a celebration his companions had done for him back in the Mojave. He certainly enjoyed that one, and couldn't even help but laugh at Rex and Lily's greetings.

And this time, here on the Festival. He really couldn't help but laugh weakly at this, reminding him of the streets of the Strip. The Vegas he rules, instead of before the 2nd Battle for the Dam. But instead of people wandering about with greed and lust in their minds, this one had a certain pure objective, to connect and unite the people.

Then his weak laugh was heard by the green haired woman beside him. "Um, are you okay, Six?"

" _Yes.. I am very much okay._ " He says, his laugh dying out shortly after.

"Oh, then what did you think of Hiroaki's welcome?" She asked with a curious smile.

" _He certainly knows how to welcome people. Especially new ones._ " Six only felt warm and pure greetings, which is weirding him out. But that thought was put at the back of his mind, so he ignored those issues.

"Then I guess you'd like how the Festival works then, come on!" Aina said, pulling his gloved hand as he followed her through the streets. After jogging with the green haired woman, they stopped at a concession stand. One that had a not-so-big amount of people in line.

" _What's this?_ " He asked.

"I'll buy you a snack first! Hee hee," She said, giving him another one of her delicate smiles.

" _You don't have to do that. I could pay.. okay nevermind._ " He pulled the thought away, as he just realized that his amount of bottlecaps won't be considered as currency.

However, he could try to exchange that…

The line was done in an instant, as Six just realized he and Aina were up front. Facing an old woman, donning an elderly smile. "Ah! Aina-san! How are you today?"

Aina sincerely smiled back. Okay seriously, Six needs to stop repeating 'smile'. "Oh! I've been enjoying it so far, especially with him by my side!" Aina pointed towards Six.

" _Pleasure to meet you ma'am. Please call me Six._ " He introduced himself, putting on a weak smile instead of something genuine. Extending his hand to her.

"Six..? Strange name, yet I like it!" She then grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.

"Two jagamarukun with cream filling for two please." Aina said, with two of her fingers raised up. The old lady only nodded before pulling out two deep fried things (to Six that's what it was) wrapped in a brown wrapper before handing it to Aina and the Courier.

Both took it from her hands, as Aina exchanged for 4 copper coins. Which Six remembered was the currency known as; Valis. "Thank you so much, Ms. Marianna."

"Anytime, Aina-san!" She waved goodbye to the duo, who continued walking around.

Six watched Aina bit into her delicacy, who enjoyed the flavors melt in her mouth. She swallowed down the chunk, then faced Six. "Come on, try yours!"

He was only waiting for her permission, and with that he unwrapped the plastic. Revealing a heated potato snack in his hands. He took a large bite, then quickly moaned in satisfaction. The sweet and sour flavors truly mesmerizing, as not even the best campfire food back in the Wastes could rival with this snack.

" _I swear, the food here is better from where I came from._ " Six stated taking another bite into his jagamarukun.

"Hmm," Aina leaned forward, a bit close to his face. "Better than my cooking perhaps?"

" _Yeah. This one piece of snack beats your cooking._ " Six replied, not caring that this woman was closing in his personal space. " _Got a problem?_ "

"Hmph," She said defeated with a smile. Taking another bite into her own food. "Let's check the contesting booths right after. I want to win something for one of the kids back at the orphanage."

Six chuckled in his mind, realizing he never bothered to interact with one of the children in the orphanage. In fact, he was sure none of them even bothered to approach him even before he settled into the basement room. Maybe those kids were scared of newcomers, especially ones that wore scary-ass Power Armor.

Oh right, he did wear that X-01 helmet. He knew that Enclave helmet put slight fear in anyone who wears it. Maybe that's why. Speaking of which, he never even bothered to find his missing Power Armor. He'd be pissed off if the Sisters had to break through the frame just so they can pull Six out of the damn armor.

Ah well, he'll handle that matter later. For now, he settled his gaze back to Aina. Who was still enjoying her jagamarukun in silence.

"Miss Aina! Miss Aina!" He heard some young voice call out to the green haired woman beside him.

Aina looked up from her snack and found two.. no, there's the third one. She looked over to three kids, one girl and two boys following her from behind. She immediately recognized these kids. While Six just assumed they were the ones from the orphanage.

"Oh, Hachi, Jun, Hoshi. Hello there!" Her face of joy turned into something worrisome. "Who's watching over you three?"

"Aina-san." She heard a familiar voice call her attention. Looking up, she saw her dark blue haired friend, Diane.

"Oh, Diane! I thought you were still back at the orphanage.."

"Heh, it seems Umeko was insistent on taking care of the chores all alone. There are some others who are helping, but since the others also took the kids here.."

"Heya! I, have, my, snack!" The one kid with thick brown hair took out a lollipop from it's wrapper, showing it to his friends.

"Hm, I guess I am hungry too. Good thing I have my sandwich!" The other kid but with silver hair took out a square-shaped object covered in a towel. Unwrapping it revealed a simple sandwich with meat. Well, that's what Six sees. He doesn't care what meat it was.

"O-oh." The one brunette girl mumbled. While the two nuns were speaking, the little girl pulled Diane's cloth, gaining her attention.

Diane looked to the child. A comforting voice asking, "What is it, Hachi?"

"I-I think I forgot my.. snack back at the orphanage." She answered.

Diane looked back at her with a slightly worried face. "Don't worry, I'll buy you something here later. I'll make sure you—"

"Um, Hachi?" Aina interjected. The little girl looking at the green haired woman.

"Yes, Sister Aina?"

"You like jagamarukun right?"

"Yes! I do!" The girl replied with boisterous joy and a smile on her face.

"Then, would you like mine? I'm sorry if it's missing some bits. If you want, I can buy you another." Aina said, making sure the kid gets fed.

"It's alright Sister Aina! I would like this, it's also cream!" Hachi answered by biting into the potato snack. "It's still delicious..!"

"Now Hachi, what would you say to Sister Aina?" Diane reminded her, as if forgetting something.

"Oh right! Thank you very much Sister!" The child said with gratitude, bowing down on her.

"It's nothing Hachi, go on now." Aina said, as the kid waved off to her, joining her friends. Diane turned to her friend, a bit of concern on her face.

"You sure you won't get hunry, Aina-san?" She asked.

"It's no big deal! Just a snack." She waved off her concern. "Come on now, you got to watch over those little ones."

"Trying to get rid of me?" Diane asked with a grin. Then leaned in to her ear. "Maybe.. you want some time alone on your _date_ , hm?"

Aina's face turned red, gasping and recoiling from her whisper. "Th-that's not tru-true you know? Now, don't y-you have to watch over those kids?"

"Sure, I will. Good luck on your _date_!" Diane said goodbye, running off to the trio of orphans.

Aina's face was still smoking, taken back a bit from Diane's teasing. She hoped Six thought nothing of it.

" _Date? Heh, nice try there._ " She heard Six chuckle behind her. That statement not helping, as her face slightly turned red even more.

"J-just, don't mind what she said. Alright?" She stuttered. She could really feel her face melting from the blushing.

Six, not giving a fuck about it, thought back as to Aina just gave away her food. He thought they'd be eating a snack just so they can spend more time on the mini-games the Festival held. Surely, he'd want his companion to be a little more energetic. Besides, he already ate a bit back in the orphanage. And he'd have the chance to maybe tease her a little.

" _Here, have my snack._ " He said, extending his hand that held the potato delicacy to Aina.

Then, Aina gasped. Looking at Six with unbelievable eyes, while looking all the more flustered. "I-I can't take your food! You'd have to enjoy it!"

" _Well what's the point of enjoying it if my friend isn't enjoying it?_ " Six replied with a charming smile. " _It's okay, Aina. Have my food._ "

Was Six sure about this? Yes he was. Was Aina sure about this? Absolutely not. It felt like some sort of proposal, and it was definitely embarrassing her. He even ate part of it, touching that with her lips would mean..

The thought made Aina want to curl up and yell because of an indirect _whatchamacallit_.

" _Come on, take it. I want my friend to have some energy while playing some games._ " Six really insisted. Slowly, he saw Aina's hand reach for the snack. Her face getting more and more flustered the closer her hand got to the snack.

Aina couldn't really handle the embarrassment all the more longer. And with that, withdrew her hand. "No! I will let you enjoy your meal!" She pouted, and crossed her arms.

Inside Aina's mind, she thought how it has truly been awhile ever since she acted like this again.

Then Six suddenly spoke up, " _How about I feed you?_ "

"Eh?!" The idea now burned Aina in her chest. She looked at him, and he was being serious. The smile slightly calmed her—she wasn't sure—but the fact that he's..

" _I'm going forward.._ " Six called out, his hand that held the potato snack slightly inched forward. " _Here comes the NCR train.. it'll come for that land.._ "

' _Okay, why the fuck did I quote the NCR on this shit?_ ' Six thought.

Aina's mind couldn't handle it further, and with that. She slightly opened her mouth, waiting for the potato crunch to sneak into her mouth. Six then carefully moved the snack onto her lips, before it was enough for her to bite.

She bit into it.

Aina bit into it.

" _There, there._ " The Courier placed a hand on her hair, slightly petting her like some dog. He inched another chunk of the food further, letting the green haired woman indulge the snack and.. the indirect whatchamacallit.

Aina and Six were enjoying this day so far.

* * *

"Step right up! Get a cup, toss it up! Let the bear catch then stop!"

" _How much for a round?_ "

"Only a single coin Valis good sir!"

" _Aina, mind paying?_ "

"Oh, here."

"Get a loada' this then boy!"

" _Humph!_ "

"..wow! Good toss, the bear caught it. Next cup!"

"Nice one Six! You got another!"

"Alright lucky boy, if you get that small bear to catch it, you win—"

"Wow!"

"Wh-what?"

" _What do I win?_ "

"Pick any, good sir!"

" _Here Aina, have the dog._ "

"W-wow, that's.. okay..!"

That's one game down.

For the rest, Six didn't even try with those accuracy games. He did a ball-toss one, winning a free coupon for him and Aina to have at some food joint in the festival. He played an archery one, getting himself a bit confused before winning three rounds. Hitting the marks at their hardest spots, and was rewarded with a high quality toy sword.

They both joined a duo mini-game contest. Where it was a weird game of 'Guess What?', where one player would be having a word taped to his head, and the partner would let him guess what it would be. The partner only answering 'yes, no, and maybe' only.

They lost two rounds, but made up for it when they won four rounds. After that, they did a 'Blind-Park' challenge, where one of the duo would get blindfolded and would have to hold and guide their partner along a small plank. Six offered to be the blind while Aina would guide him and get carried on his back. Throughout that game, the green haired woman could only blush. They got 2nd place.

After a few more games—the last game being Six winning some sort of arm-wrestling challenge—they ate in a joint with the most enjoyable food. They used their coupon there, and that's where they could talk casually.

It was usually Six listening on what Aina had to say about some opinions of her life, while waiting for their food to arrive. When it did, they both ate and talked about food. With Six mostly telling her that he usually eats campfire food, so it's why the talk of meals is a bit of a fog for him.

After savoring the meal and their time, they decided to stop first and just sit somewhere. Soon, while walking, they found a lone bench. Perfect for only the two of them.

Six settled with Aina sitting beside him. The former sighing in relief, as he could stop walking for a bit, as walking amongst plenty of people slightly made him sick. He wasn't all fully recovered from the damages and the accident, but he isn't up for crowds either. Except when he has to blend in.

" _So, are you gonna give those toys to the kids?_ " Six asked. Aina turning to him with a smile.

"I would. But, I'll keep the bunny one. Just for you." She said, hoping it would tease him.

To her surprise, it did nothing. " _Is it because it's too fluffy?_ "

"Su-sure. You could say that." She stammered. Knowing that now, her tactics of teasing him does not work.

" _I'll be honest. I very much, like this place already._ " Six stated.

"Hm? Are you, welcomed by it?" Aina added.

" _It.. feels like it._ " Six paused, gathering his next words. Before deciding to be a bit honest with her. " _I'll be real here, you could guess I'm not from this place. Right?_ "

Aina only nodded.

" _That's half the truth. Because.._ " He needed to let out some words to someone. And telling Aina wouldn't hurt. " _…because I'm from another world._ "

"Eh?" Aina resounded, as if she misheard it.

" _Believe me or not, I was sent here in a terrible way. Not that I'm regretting of my presence here in this village. Hell, I could've ended up someplace worse._ " He gathered his breath, shaking his head as he continued on. " _But from where I am.. that place isn't for anyone in this world. Even if you're the toughest, meanest son of a bitch that could walk this Earth._ "

Aina was hardly believing this. This man, the one man beside him, was from another world. Now it made sense, when he first asked of 'What was this world like?'. He was curious if he ended up at another hell hole or a new haven. He was lucky Six ended up in the good one.

" _I.. As soon as I got to this place, I feel like, some stuff changed me. How I acted, how I behaved. Usually, I'm an asshole everybody would want to forget. Now, I somehow opened up. Relaxed from the dangers my world held. And here I am, being.. acting weird to you._ " Six looked over to his friend. " _Am I acting weird to you?_ "

Aina just shook her head. "No."

" _How about being a jerk?_ "

She shook her head again. "Mm mhm."

" _Or maybe I'm—_ "

"Six." Aina said firmly, cupping her hands on his cheeks. Stopping him from looking down on himself. "You haven't been acting mean to me. You've treated me kindly, it was why I helped you back in the infirmary."

The Courier remembered his time, when he was suspended in a single bed. Reading up about the world while Aina was at his side.

"I think that the world you lived in made you like that. You were a bit scared from the change, on how you could be mean and closed off from everyone else. If you did become mean to some people, then all you have to do is ask for forgiveness."

Six slowly raised his gloved hand to her hand, as he touched it, he slowly grasped it. The feeling felt comforting. He liked it.

Then a thought killed that joy.

And he couldn't help but say it to her. " _Aina-san. Do you wanna know something about me?_ "

The girl could only raise her eyebrows. While she slowly released her hands from his face. The man only raised his front hair, revealing two heavy scars painted on his forehead. Aina could only slightly jump from the sight.

" _These scars, I.._ " Six didn't know how to explain to them the mechanics of bullets. So he reworded it instead. " _I was shot in the head thanks to some piercing bolts. I.. those things were drilled in my head. And I lived it._ "

The memory wasn't pleasant. Especially the feeling of it, where two marks hit his head. The worst of it all.. " _The worst part? I was buried once I blacked out._ "

He swore he saw a glint of water in Aina's eyes. But he continued. " _I was buried, right after. Soon, some rusty bucket dug me up. And he got me recovered._ " The thought of Victor retrieving him from Goodsprings. He remembered giving his gratitude, and after betraying Mr. House. When he came to visit him back in his shack..

" _That's why I keep saying I act like an asshole. I wasn't a good lil' nelly even before that.. but right after that incident. I wasn't as open as I am._ " His solemn face, suddenly tuned into a weak smile. " _But, that didn't stop me from doing good. I helped people when they needed it the most, I tried to spare people. From the hell, or I spared them from their mercy._ "

Six didn't even know why he bothered to open up to someone he knew for a day. But he was in a new world, and no one else to talk to. And all his memories were just cringe, and pain. It wasn't worth the walk down memory lane for him. So he had to open up.

And slowly by bit, he felt his shoulders being at ease.

" _I.. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Heh, I give up._ " Six chuckled, before taking back a breath he didn't even know he held in. As he looked back to Aina, who had been..

Her face held concern for Six. As he looked at her, she suddenly grabbed his gloved hands. Which startled him for a bit, before her face of concern turned into a smile.

"I'm happy.. that you told me this, Six." She said.

" _I.. I just wanted to tell someone about it. And you've been kind enough to listen._ " He replied.

Aina just shook her head at this. She also wanted to tell him, not the fact she had a crush on him, but she wanted to tell him of her truth. That she isn't what she seems to be. She just wanted to tell someone of it for a while now. She didn't know why, but her 99-year old brain couldn't take it. She needed someone to know of her old life.

"Can I.. can I tell you something now?" She asked. Her voice having serious intentions.

" _Go on ahead._ " Six simply said.

"I'm, not what you think I am." She simply answered.

".. _okay._ " Six stated, as if he was absentminded.

"I'm.. not a human, first of all." She said, before uttering some words that was ineligible for Six to hear. Right after, her ears started to glow. Her normal, human ears turned that of to pointy ones.

Elves. Maybe a true forest elf. That's what Six contemplated.

He wasn't surprised by the slightest. He knew she would reveal something, however, he was spoiled last night by Umeko.

" _Elf, are you?_ " Six asked.

"No, I'm a High-Elf."

' _..wha?_ ' Six thought to himself, as Umeko didn't reveal the lines of Aina being something of the royal family. Maybe she left out the details, or she didn't know. He ignored those thoughts for now, as he looked back on the worried face of Aina. Who wasn't sure if her reveal was for good or not.

" _Heh, I didn't expect you to be a royal dignity._ " Six commented.

"My.. last name is Tulle. Aina Tulle. I'm part of the extended family of the royal high-elf family." She explained.

' _Ooh…_ ' Six now cleared up some misconceptions in her mind. So he was maybe right, she could be older than he thought.

" _How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?_ "

"99-years. And counting." She replied.

Okay, she was definitely older than he thought.

"Truth is, I don't really act like this. I'm.. supposed to be, all serious and.. maybe someone along the lines of like Sister Flor. I.. had left the family behind for a good friend of mine. Who is in Orario, right now." She didn't know if it was right to reveal to him the information or not.

But she did it anyway.

"I'm.. I'm also a mother."

Six was taken aback by this. Now this is a detail he didn't know, or expected.

"I.. had a child. She's also in Orario right now. Maybe having a good life." She smiled at the thought, that one day she could see her daughter once more. "My.. former lover left me.. no, left us behind. He ventured out, hoping he could come back to the family with some form of contribution. Now, I don't know.. if I'm still angry at him or not. He.. he left.."

Aina swore her eyes were watering.

"He.. left us.. you know? I had to work harder, and give my daughter a chance to be someone greater. I don't know if.. my husband's still alive out there. Or maybe, the news of his.."

Now she couldn't bear it. She started sobbing. Her eyes dripped with tears, the overflow of memories, painful ones. It was full hardship, one that she couldn't bear to relive. She sobbed, quietly. Well, tried to be quiet.

It was all she could do right now. She silently hoped she could feel some sort of joy.

Then, she was wrapped in warm body. She raised her sobbing face, and saw that Six had hugged her. He tightened his grip, while digging his head onto her shoulder.

" _I'm sorry, I'm sorry for that. I really.. do not know how to respond to these types of things but.. I'm glad you told me this. Now I know why.._ " He traced his hand on her hair, petting it slowly. Trying to comfort the 99-year old high-elf that was in his grace. He hoped his embrace would be enough.

Then, Aina stopped sobbing. Instead, returning the deep hug. Laying her head on his shoulder, with a weak smile on her face. "Thank you, so much Six. I.. I never thought I could.. talk to anyone like this again." She really said with pure gratitude, still holding the deep hug with him.

Six and Aina didn't even know why they suddenly started to open up. Maybe plot convenience? Their feelings? Or maybe the environment?

They didn't care at this rate. They just enjoyed the silence and peace they shared.

* * *

"Thank you for this day, Six." Aina turned to face the person in question. Who wore a smile on his face like Aina.

" _It's… It's been a while since I had fun.. like this. So, thank you too. Aina-san_." Six replied, his words with truth.

Hearing this, Aina looked surprised. Her face says so, and they stood silent for a while. Just staring at each other, until Aina lunged for Six, giving him an embrace. Six, on the receiving end of this, was taken aback. They stood still once more, as Six slowly returned the embrace. With a weak smile on his face. Something he rarely shows.

After another peaceful moment, Aina finally released her clutches on the Courier. She bowed lightly to him, while they both muttered a 'thank you' to each other.

From there, their roads came to it's current end. Both walking in their separate ways, Aina returning to the orphanage while Six made his way to the library. And by that time, it was just about to be dusk.

Six thought back to their time in the festival. It's been a while, a long while ever since _joy_ returned to him. The feeling itself by now, it felt a bit unknown to him. From the shit show he had in the Mojave, up to the ends of the Divide, there were only weak instances he truly felt happiness. And looking back, the food he and Aina shared, the events they partook, the people he met, and the one time she revealed something to him. He actually enjoyed the company.

Unbeknownst to him, his lips curled upward again.

And then he came to a stop, just in front of the town's library. Now, he could find some answers. True answers he can come by, not some assumptions made by Flor or the old man. The building looked simple really, a stone cottage with a sign by the door, a quill and an open book, of course it's the library.

He opened the door, and saw the room. Lines of bookshelves covered the floor, there were only a handful of tables made for reading or so. Then to the right of the door, was the librarian's counter. Stacks of papers and folders on the surface of the counter, and some ink and quills. Along with a personal candle, surely for the likes of the librarian.

Speaking of whom, was an elf sitting on a chair. Wearing a formal black shirt and a white skirt laced with black stripes. She too, looked youthful as the people he met in the orphanage. Seriously, what the fuck is up with people looking like teens? He regarded her looks, the pointy ears, the medium length black hair, and the thick brown eyes. Her gaze drawn to a book she's currently reading, and weird thing is, ever since Six saw the weird writing the people wrote, his Pip-Boy managed to decrypt and translate it to his eyes clearly. And it seems the librarian was reading some sort of adventure book. ' _Dungeon.. Oratori.._ '

"Oh, may I help you?" A motherly voice called, to which Six paid attention to the source.

" _Um yes, Ms.._ " He managed to look at her nametag without being _too_ obvious. " _Noriko. Um, where can I find the History section?_ "

"Third shelf after the Fiction section, just beside the large window." She stated, as if memorizing the entire place.

Six muttered her a thank you before heading to said section. Once he did, his eyes scanned for almost anything related to stuff he'll encounter in a place where he was hinted to go to. Grabbing plenty of books, he made his way back and placed the stack on a table. Pulling a chair up and taking a seat, he took the first one on the stack. From there, his Pip-Boy gained a new notification.

' _This'll be a hassle._ '

* * *

It was sometime at evening, likely 7pm. And in a small comfy lobby of the orphanage, was Gramps and Flor, laughing to their drinks and having an enjoyable conversation.

"Seems Aina found someone to be friendly with. Even though he looks of an asshole by the side." Gramps said, taking a swig from the red wine.

"Looks so. Never seen her so happy ever since she and that other man hit it off. And she's only happy if she revealed the _secret_ to that someone." Flor added.

"She's only revealed that to what, us and her former lover?" Gramps looked over to the elderly woman, who settled her drink after taking a sip.

"Indeed. And that means she also revealed that to Six, don't you think?"

"Hmph. It's a bit too fast, y'know? It was just years after he left her, and now this. Psh, imagine Six coming up with a word to say he's about to leave."

Then the door to the lobby opened, revealing a man donned with a combat helmet, wearing an armored trench coat with the heavy stuff under his overcoat. Sure, they knew this was the one and only Courier Six.

"Ah, speak of the devil. Six..! Have a drink with us—"

" _I'm leaving tomorrow, Sister._ "

With that, the whole room was stunned into an eerie silence.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: AAAHHHH THIS CHAPTER IS SO BAD I FELT LIKE I FAILED YOU GUYS, AAHHHH**

 **Anywho, that's a wrap. Finishing this chapter, it made me feel so disappointed, I'm not satisfied with this. Really.**

 **I'll cheer you guys (and myself) up by saying that I just finished a certain duel between a certain Pallum and a certain Courier. So get ready for that.**

 **For the other clarifications, one. Six _cannot_ speak in this fic. It might seem confusing, but the italic speech of Six just means that it's how he replies in text form like in the game. Think of it as, Six not speaking, but the characters managing to hear what he has to say. **

**Second, you'll notice that I changed his equipment in the first chapter. Well, I need to get these specific ones because it's powerful enough to tear through the challenges Six will face.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Anti-Materiel Rifle - Gobi Scout Sniper Rifle**

 **.357* Magnum "Old Scratch" (good for you if you know where this gun is from) - .357 Magnum "Lucky" (I'm thinking to also add A Light In Shining Darkness)  
**

 **Modified Assault Carbine - Special variant of "All-American" (you'll find out the effects the weapon has in the later chapters)**

 **Combat Knife - Blood's Nap (Bowie Knife from Lonesome Road)**

 **.**

 **.**

 **I also apologize for how lackluster the way of writing is in this chapter. Because I usually write in the middle of the night, and that's the time where my stupid teenage brain is at it's worst and best. Anywho, I'll reply to reviews, see you next chapter.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **if you ask, no, this isn't some romance bullshit.**


	3. We'll Meet Again

**Author's Notes: It's been a long tour. All I could think about now-**

 **Okay enough bullcrap, school dumped me projects and exams. Finished those up and while you guys were waiting, I wrote also some chapters to come soon (hopefully). Including chapter's 4 and 5. So it hasn't been that bad.**

 **Anyway! Review replies!**

 **...**

 **Reply to DarkBlight: Thank you for the last words. I'll be sure to do this my way.**

 **Reply to Kryptman: Don't worry, the fun'll start soon. Just you wait.**

 **Reply to Ediros: I see. Thank you for the clarification.**

 **Reply to Jack of All Jacks: Old Scratch is switched into Lucky because the former isn't canon. Personally, I would've added mods into this fic but I decided against it. So you would rather see bits and pieces here and there. (Maybe a reference to Someguy's storyline)**

 **Reply to theoddpep and The guy Inthebox: Thanks! Be sure to stick around!**

 **Reply to Havel the Hebel: Well, with the shit I wrote in mind, this might have some fluff here and there. Although I hope it won't ruin the story. And thanks, I'll be making sure Six does some punishing.**

 **Reply to Xenophos24: Ah, that won't happen unfortunately. All though you might like what you'll read next. And thanks.**

 **...**

 **By the way, this'll be a short useless chapter. Just something to get out of the way for the upcoming chapter to be released soon.**

* * *

 **3 – We'll Meet Again; Don't Know Where, Don't Know When~**

" _I'm leaving tomorrow, Sister._ " Six plainly said.

It was silence in the room as he said that. The whole statement caught Gramps and Sister Flor off-guard. They weren't expecting the newcomer to leave all so sudden. He just settled in this village.

Then again, he says he isn't from this place.

Sister Flor couldn't really form a sentence, as the shock factor was still weighing on her. Gramps had to catch on then form up something to say.

"Y-y-yo-you're leaving?" Gramps stuttered.

" _I said, I'm leaving tomorrow._ " Six repeated bluntly again. Six was surely confused, they looked so shocked. Why would they? He was just a rude guest who's secretly from another world. He hasn't done anything that would surely make it look like that a Familia member say his leave to his Goddess all so sudden.

Unless he did.. and one idea was subtly caught in his mind..

"Why.. wh-why are you leaving so.. so soon?" Flor finally managed to say a word.

" _Because I got what I needed. And from here, I'll take a caravan going up to Orario._ " Six said.

"Well, why wo-won't you stay for another day? Please..? Just a day won't hur-"

A giant fist slammed into the brick wall beside Six.

" _I said, I'm leaving tomorrow..!_ " The Courier said with visible anger, well, visible if not for his helmet. Now truly, something's amiss here. Why are they insisting him to stay? " _What got you both so riled up to let me stay here for a longer period?_ "

"Well, it's..i-it's because.."

" _SPIT IT OUT GODDAMNIT!_ " Six yelled angrily. Slamming his fist again on the wall, though not as hard as his previous.

"Hey! Six, you do not talk like that to Flor!" Gramps stood from his seat on the couch, angrily stomping his way to Six.

Six saw this and stood upfront to Gramps. " _Or what old man? You gonna body slam me into the floor?_ "

His voice was visibly threatening, it had that feeling that provoking him will do some serious damage. Not to Six, but everything else around him.

"Aina won't be so happy that you'll leave so soon!" Flor managed to blurt out before things got rough in the orphanage.

And behind that mask of Six, his eyes widened.

' _Wh-what?_ '

" _What'd you say Sister?_ " He asked, the tone of his voice changing from anger..

To concern.

Six knew this went somewhere, somewhere he thought of. And one thing he isn't going to be really happy about if it is true. He stood, waiting for Flor to elaborate while Gramps moved aside for Flor to meet Six in the eyes fully. Well, not eyes..

"Aina came back after the festival, and when she did.. she was happy. Happy, in a sense that she found something she could cherish."

" _Fuck, I knew where this was going.._ " Six interrupted. " _Oh God no.. oh Jesus, fuck.._ " Six was now at disbelief. He shook his head, releasing tension from his body as he faced the window. His head looking down by just knowing what Sister Flor was telling him.

He couldn't imagine Aina crying, just because he left a day early.

"You, you made it really look like Aina had fun. Not just any usual fun, fun she had when she met her first husband." Flor continued on, making Six more guilty.

How did this fact not register to him in the first place? That was certainly a stupid thought he did not think of.

"Now you see why we want you to stay for a bit longer?" Gramps said, placing a hand on Six's shoulder.

The man could only sigh from his helmet. The guilt weighing heavily on him.

"It's alright, Six." That voice, the sweet one he always heard beside him in the festival..

The two old people looked at her way, who was standing by the hallway. Aina was frowning. She wasn't tearing up, more of.. she wanted an elaboration.

Six finally turned to the woman, who was still wearing her clothes from a while ago. She still looked cute as ever, even if she was frowning. ' _Okay, I do not know if that's a good thing or not._ '

" _Aina-san._ "

"Six."

They both just stared at each other, both intents unknown to the two old people watching them.

Then they both started walking to each other, at the same time. When they met up on the middle, Aina immediately grabbed Six's gloved hands. Making him gasp in his thoughts.

" _You might be thinking I'll forget of your thoughts if I leave this place, hm?_ " Six first spoke between the two.

But the green haired woman weakly smiled at him. Yet, all he felt with that smile of hers was a sad one. "I know you won't forget me. Seeing as how you and I opened up back in the bench." She fidgeted her hands with his.

" _Will it hurt you, if I leave this place?_ " Six spoke. Then the unsettling silence reigned upon the four, once more.

"Let's talk in my room instead." Aina simply said, pulling his hand with him following behind. He wasn't put in a shocker with her actions, but the Sister and the old man certainly were.

They trekked down the stairs and headed for Aina's room. Closing the door behind him, Aina let go of her grasp. Six immediately decided to remove his Riot Helmet, knowing she'd want to talk to him face to face. After placing it on his hip, he waited for one of them to speak up.

Then Aina's ears glowed, the human ones becoming Elf ears. He certainly didn't expect that, maybe she also thought to be fair.

" _I know I'll hurt you, if I leave this place. Because I'm pretty sure you're about the only one I care in this village._ " Six answered with a weak laugh.

Aina placed her hand on his cheek, caressing it. "I know you'll think that you're going to hurt me if you leave. But this time, I understand that you came from a different world."

Six slowly reached for her wrist that touched his cheek. Weakly clutching it, gave him enough comfort. " _You could guess I'm not used to these.. social or intimate things._ "

Which was half true. He wasn't always used to these type of things. But he encountered it in the past with different companions he met. Veronica, Cass, Boone, Arcade, Raul… they all shared some personal stuff and he helped them with their very personal stuff.

"Which is why, I intend on being okay with you leaving this place behind."

That made Six's eyes widen slightly, along with his expression.

"But, I just want you to do these favors…" She let go of his cheek and instead reached for his hands again. "…please, when you find my daughter, or my old friend.. take care of them."

Her sweet voice fazed Six in the slightest bit, but her reason surely made up for it.

" _If that's what it takes to make you happy, then I promise I'll watch over them._ " He tightened his hold on her hands, in addition.

"I know you will." She said, tenderly to his ear. Right afterwards, she lunged at him for a tight hug. Six answered by returning the embrace, and stuffing his head to her shoulder.

" _I'm really sorry that I have to leave you.. all like this._ " Six whispered to Aina. Still melting into the hug. " _I really.. apologize that this may remind you of—_ "

"Please don't worry about it." Aina's sweet voice waking Six up from his guilt.

As Aina traced her hand on Six's shaggy hair, he let out a scoff. " _Look at me, being all weepy and weak. Christ.._ "

"I know you're strong. But sometimes you have to act weak, for the greater good." She reassured him. "You mean well, Six. And that's what I _love_ about you."

Six eyes widened hearing that, feeling a lump in his throat. He really felt weak right now, as he felt his cheeks slightly burn at that.

He wasn't familiar with the feeling of affection.

" _Thank you._ " Six muttered. " _I could see a world in a new perspective.. thanks to you._ "

Time seemed to stand still, as their embrace just felt warmer the longer it lasted.

* * *

The night seemed cold. But in the room of a certain high-elf, things were certainly warmer thanks to her company.

She was glad Six didn't advance into something intimate, unlike her first love. Because it would only remind her of certain pains, but Six never took that thought into account. To him, being that _together_ brings consequences. Actions that will be used against himself.

So from there, they began to discuss Orario. The elf wasn't really experienced with the gigantic city, but she had some chances here and there. Visiting her child once, along with her old friend from the kingdoms. Aina told Six the two most important names he would be getting involved with in the near future.

Eina Tulle. Her half-elf child, working at the Guild full-time. She described to him what she could remember of her looks. The short hair, the emerald eyes like her mother. A sweet innocent smile that the youth wore. She just told him that Eina was beautiful, and to her, that child was a cherry blossom that she bloomed.

Riveria Ljos Alf. Her very old friend in the back-when times. A high-elf of the royal family of Alfs. Although, Aina had clarified that she wasn't part of the actual family, rather she was an extended part of it. Which is why she never bore the name 'Alf', rather her family name, 'Tulle'. She highly described the nature of that green haired high-elf, serious and loving. She told him that she would make such a good mother, to which the high-elf shook off. She was a beauty of sorts too. Her appearance could be similar to Aina's youthful face, her eyes and hair could be the same as Aina's if not for the style and color. She also informed of her powerful abilities. Explaining that while normal mages have difficulty to chant long spells that held great Mana, Riveria could chant more than seven long spells due to her special ability to regenerate her lost Mind.

Six had taken almost all these details into account using his Pip-Boy. The information of Riveria's magic could prove useful sometime.

After such a serious talk, along with Aina telling Six to find and discreetly watch over them, they went back to a more casual conversation like back in the festival.

From interests to hobbies, both had shared their own sides. Aina revealing to like sweet stuff and cleaning it up right after with a savory taste. Six telling her that he found satisfaction in helping people when you have the answers they need, yet also ranting how everyone he meets up with always tell him to fetch or do this stuff that sometimes they could do themselves.

They were going at it for a while, before realizing the time was 11 in the night. Both agreed to have a small drink over cocoa and hit the hay right after.

Slowly, the conversation dropped into a level of certain seriousness. Who started the talk, was Aina, by asking Six a question.

"..What do you think of Gods, and Goddesses. Six?"

Six lightly raised his brow at that, unsure on how to respond a bit on that regard.

" _What makes you say that?_ " He asked.

"Well… it's just that. I know you mean well." She moved the hair beset on her eyes. "But, you look like someone who wants to beat up a deity. I'm.. wanting to know."

Six, in-truth never liked people superior than him. Because it gives them that idea of rules being set by them. Others could've called him a hypocrite for being a leader himself, but he sets the idea of the people first before he bumps in his own rules.

Gods and Goddesses were no different, he was disappointed when some books told of him that they lead a Familia of their own, whether they're poor or not. He was alright with that at first, until the stronger Familias: The Freya, the Loki, the Ares Familias. They just sit high and mighty in their chairs while their kids do all the work for them. Sure, they can unleash their godlike abilities: Arcanum, but the beings above the heavens made a rule to ban the use of their power. Or else it'll become boring or some shit.

He made an exception to the Loki Familia however, it seems they aim to do good things. Even though he had disagreements when she and Freya chased Zeus out of Orario.

He gained his thoughts first, gathered a certain idea and told Aina.

Six scoffed. " _You know.. I've yet to actually meet a guy or, girl from Heaven. I read that they were the most perfect beings above. And they come down here, because they're bored. Now, they're experiencing the pains of being a mortal. I mean, sure they had their own problems above but.._

 _Here. Hephaestus, the Divine Goddess of smithing. Says that she wears a patch over her right crippled eye, and of those whose seen it suddenly fear or, hate her. You know what I think? I think, that's just some petty, bullshit excuse to say that, 'I'm special, leave me alone'._ "

"But doesn't that make you a hypocrite?"

" _Sure. You can call me one, but I know what I am, and they know what they're supposed to be not._

 _You know, I'll tell you a story. A story from my world, where one religion talked about this certain God._ "

He had an idea pop into his mind, Joshua Graham talking to him about the New Canaan. The certain God they worshipped, they wrote a fucking novel for this guy. A Bible, they say. This God says to believe in him, and they will be granted eternal life in his domain. Six at first was surprised, mixed with bullshit and belief. He was no man of religion, but Joshua decided to hand him a spare Bible. And Six took to a quiet spot in the Canyons of Zion, then read as much as he could.

There was only one certain chapter in that Bible he understood as a Wastelander so much.

" _There was a man from the land of Uz. A man lived there with his kids. Slaughtered 10 goats, one for each of his children. And burned them in the altar in God's Honor. Now the God here, is the 'Father Almighty' as they say. A creator God of sorts._

"Funny, because the Gods here also believe of the 'Creator God' was the most powerful of Gods."

" _Familiar then, I suppose? Well then, you should know this God is the most perfect of all. As he is the one who created life—human life, to be exact. Then, one day his companions up in heaven talk about this man, who had a family up in Uz. He was referred by, Job. They believed him to be God's perfect servant, yes.. of all of God's servants, they say he was the most perfect. Then, they tried to test his loyalty. By doing something that most people would curse God's name with._

 _So then God murdered all 10 of his children in cold blood. Scorched at every inch of Job's land, lashed at his body until he was covered in bloody welts. God rained shit and misery upon his most perfect servant, and after rebuilding with whatever he had left.. he didn't curse his name all through that._ "

Six took a sip in his hot cocoa and watched the cute high-elf in front of him slightly widen her eyes. Her expression was still listening, and to Aina, she getting why Six chose this particular story to tell. But she only wondered what reason for?

The Courier ranted on. " _And you know what I realized with that? Job was a pussy._ " He paused, grabbed a fresh batch of air. " _The difference between me and him, is that I found my limits, on why I want to fight back against the big guys. While he was still loving God, at the backyard was me fighting against anyone that tried to prove their ruling was right._

 _The fighting is only one part of the problem, it's the loneliness that comes with it._ "

Six took a deep breath, with him drinking another of his cocoa.

He hated himself, one for being a human. For being a race that had their ancestors trying to kill each other one day. Two for being another person of the Wasteland. In truth, he was no different to the intentions of other people back in the Wastes. The only thing different was him taking on a different path and having the strength and courage to overcome their limits.

Even though he found himself hating at his own existence, he uses that hatred to help the people who really need it.

He has no hope for humanity. Ever since he saw them slowly rebuild what was what in the back when, he knew the past mistakes would happen all over again. Maybe of something that the Big MT creates, or the Cloud from the Sierra Madre spreading to the Mojave because of the NCR, hell, the Divide's hatred growing, spreading the Tunnelers into the I-15. He didn't know, but the fact that the Legion or the NCR, or the Brotherhood could come out and strike with nuclear launch codes, the idea made him scared.

But instead, using that fear to encourage himself to help what could remain of the Wasteland. Using that fear as an objective, to make sure humanity does not make the same mistakes it once did. Making sure they don't make the same mistakes as he did. Or else, the second time won't be a way of ever coming back.

But the more he helped, the more he hurt.

Six was no messenger of God, but he wasn't the emissary of the Devil either. He had his limits in morality, he was smart to know when to do right and when to do otherwise. But when he does make the big mistakes, the consequences weigh heavily in his head. He thinks of that rather of the good things.

And it just crossed his mind that he felt an arm wrapped around his head, and his head pressed onto someone's chest.

He could only guess it was Aina.

He was so deep in thought that he never saw the sudden smile of the high-elf, standing from her seat and gave Six an embrace he needed. She caressed his screwed-up shaggy mane, and tightly hugged his face with pure compassion.

Six slowly raised his hand to grasp Aina's, the idiot really couldn't help but feel a burning sensation in his cheeks. Must've been embarrassing, some walk-the-wasteland-courier fuck was getting flustered under a cute girl's arms.

But he ignored that embarrassing feeling, and focused on the comforting one instead. It truly gave him a relaxing sensation.

"Do you need help with coping on that loneliness?"

Six only nodded, Aina feeling his head shake.

"You know, it's one thing to manage a whole world by yourself." Then she knelt down to Six's eye level, making him see her. "It's another to have someone help you manage that."

The words struck Six easily. His companions back in the Mojave slightly cared for his relationship towards them, sure he helped them and there were times of desperate measured they helped him and vice versa. But none of them ever tried to claim and talk to him about what he felt for once. Maybe they thought they feared him, because of his strong presence. Or maybe they thought he was strong enough to face the entire army of Hell on his own, making them think he didn't need a thought of pep talk.

Certainly not those two.

Then here is a woman, who met the Courier only a day or so. And they manage to reach a 'best friend' level of relationship in no time.

She certainly knew how to help this broken man, judging from how effective it reached Six's heart and mind.

The Courier just smiled and planted his head to her face. While embracing her back. He certainly felt comfort in her arms, while Aina felt safe and loved underneath his.

After cleaning up with the tender moment and drinks, they headed for the Living Quarters, where one last goodbye had to happen.

" _Goodnight Aina._ "

"Have a good night too…"

Six raised a brow at her, dozing off from her sentence. " _Something wrong?_ "

She raised her head and felt herself blush. "Oh no! Nothing wrong, it's just that… eheheh.."

" _What?_ " He asked, while Aina felt herself melt at the thought.

"Maybe um.. you could.. stay in my room for.. the night?" She couldn't say the sentence without blushing so hard.

She expected him to laugh it off and wave her a goodbye for the day.

" _Sure._ "

"Eh?!"

" _I'd… like some company._ "

* * *

Six felt the rays of the sun enter his vision. He certainly felt better than feeling well rested. Though, his fuzzy brain couldn't answer why he felt pretty good.

Then he felt some arms wrapped around his chest.

He turned his head, seeing a barely clothed Aina beside him. Realizing his armor was just on the floor and so was his shirt—he was shirtless. He flung the covers upwards, Six still having his pants while Aina just wore skimpy black shorts.

Ah good, nothing serious happened.

Aina then groaned, adjusting her body as Six reacted to her. He felt at bliss, being relaxed and feeling his heart warm on how cute it was, idly smiling at the sight.

Seriously, can Six stop saying cute?

The Courier thought to sleep further, this time, adjusting his body closer to her head. He placed his chin above hers, wrapped his arms around her body, and turned the blankets to them. Feeling the most best he had felt ever since.

Why was this feeling so.. alien yet great?

Her snores were adorable, and her innocent like appearance. It was like an icing on the cake. He shuffled further his body to hers, and just slept it off.

Not until as he was about to doze off, he suddenly felt her body plant itself further, while murmuring something intentional.

"Mhm, just a little closer there.." She said with a sleepy voice. "..might try lifting me further."

Okay, how did this woman go from cute to instant seduction?

Though, Six laughed it off in his head when she desperately tried to tease him.

" _When were you awake?_ " He asked, not impressed with her teasing. But still thought that it was a good try. " _And our clothes are still on. You tried though._ "

He could hear her pout. Cute. "Hmph, you're no fun."

" _How.. the hell did we reach this position?_ " He whispered.

"You don't.. remember?"

" _Not quite, milady._ "

He could guess she was blushing at the sentence.

"Eheh, well.. it started with you just sitting on the chair. Before you decided to plop down beside me and said something about, losing the clothes? It makes you feel more heaty inside it?"

" _I do not remember that._ "

Aina only giggled. "Tee-hee, I remembered everything. You even took off your top." She said, slowly rounding circles on his scar-filled chest.

" _Find it satisfying?_ " Six smirked.

"H-hey! Not quite!" She stuttered, making Six widen his smile.

It stood a while for like this, Aina just circling her hand on his chest. Her embarrassed face turning into something solemn.

" _You know, at this rate, I wonder why we aren't at the 'making out' level of friendship._ " Six suddenly whispered, which Aina heard and completely broke her out of her trance.

She looked at him with wide eyes, and a slight blush. "Do you.. want to go to that level?"

Aina hoped not.

Six scoffed. " _'Course not. That level of.. intimacy will get us in danger. Danger I don't want you catching._ "

"Have you… gotten to that level with someone?" Aina wondered, placing a finger to his chin.

" _..No. And I would try to keep it at that._ " Six replied.

They still lied there, silent. With Six having a thoughtful face and Aina bearing a comforting smile.

"I'm glad you don't want to get to that level."

" _Hm?_ "

"I.. hoped you didn't try and advance to that level of our relationship. Even though we've met for a day or so." She leaned in to his ear. "And I'm glad you didn't, it just brings me bad memories."

Six traced his hand to her shoulder, feeling her soft skin on his palm.

High-elves bear something soft, hm?

" _To be honest, the thought never even crossed my mind. In fact you are the closest I've had to being at that definite level, so.._

They again lied there in silence. Both breathing slightly, Aina caressing his chest again whilst Six shuffled some of her hair back to her ear.

" _You wanna tuck in again? It'll only be a short while._ " Six suggested.

"I'd.. like that." She replied, as they both immediately came to deepen their embrace, and dozed off into their slumber.

Just like that, they slept peacefully. Like some married couple.

* * *

The sky slowly turned blue, and as it did, Six was already fixing his boots. He already fixed his attire, wearing the Riot Armor and his accessories. While he ignored Aina dressing up for the day, while he was sure the high-elf felt so embarrassed that she was changing beside a man who wasn't fazed by the thought.

As Six tied the last lace to his boot, he saw Aina—who already reverted to her human ears back— just finished changing into her nun attire. "Are you going to catch breakfast?"

" _Eh, maybe. I still have some business to do._ " Six replied to Aina.

"And what would that be?"

" _Finding some.. large thing of mine in the woods or something. Then maybe I immediately set out for the caravan._ "

Suddenly, the door was letting out a knock.

"Aina? It's morning, you know the drill."

Aina immediately responded to Umeko's call. "I know, Umeko. I'll be there shortly!"

"May I come in?" Umeko added.

"U-uhm..!" Aina stammered, looking over to Six for answer.

And he nodded.

"S..su-sure. Come in." Then the door opened, revealing a fresh elf standing.

"The usual th—" The elf stopped when she saw Six sitting on her bed. His head lowered and facing the ground. "Six-san?"

The Courier waved at her, while not bothering to draw a look towards her way. "Morning."

Umeko only sighed, before facing Aina. "Remember, the usual. Breakfast and dogs."

"Understood." Aina replied as Umeko closed the door while maintaining a dirty look towards the Wastelander. The high-elf let out a heavy breath, then passing her eyes to Six. "Why'd you even allow her to see you?" Aina was worried Six's face might be caved in by Umeko.

" _So that she'd be aware of that I'm inside your room._ " He simply replied.

"You do realize she would absolutely kill you, thinking that you probably slept with a high-elf?"

" _…_ _bah, I can handle it. Besides, I need to have a word with her anyway._ " Before Aina could question what, Six stood up and immediately wore his Elite Riot Overcoat, then faced towards the door. " _I'll meet you later then._ "

And the door closed. Leaving Aina to wonder how she would fare her goodbye to a man she immediately opened up to.

* * *

"What do you think happened in her room?" Flor asked.

"Who knows, he probably slept with her." Gramps replied, as the duo walked back to the orphanage's courtyard and to the main lobby.

After Six and Aina left them in the room, they were both relieved that they managed to sort this out. At the same time, worried as to how Aina would react to Six immediately leaving for Orario. When the room was empty, they had to fix up the mess Six made. After, they exchanged pleasantries and left to their own beds. Both were sort of worried on how things would go on between the two, and they had a bit of difficulty sleeping in their beds.

All they had to do was hope for the best. As they sought out to find the green haired woman.

After a moment of walking, they found her feeding the two rascals of the orphanage. Kids love to play with the two dogs when break time strikes, and those dogs loved the attention too it seemed. Now Aina was there, feeding them their breakfast. They could hear her speak to them as she did her chore.

"..here now Tike. Eat up boy.." She cooed, as the younger dog of the two steadily snuffed out her hand and the dog food on her palm, before bringing it's maw up to eat the food. With it, received a satisfying pet from the green haired woman. "Good dog."

Her smile radiated with joy, and the hound could sense it proper. Also feeling joyful.

"Aina?" Flor called out, as the woman in question turned to face her with a curious face.

"Yes, Sister Flor?" Aina asked.

"Are you okay? What happened between you two last night?"

And after hearing those words, she smiled bashfully and faced the ground rather than the elder. Twiddled with her fingers and burned her cheeks with pink, reminding her of the intimate moments she had with Six.

Well.. not that intimate. Get your heads out of the gutter.

"Uhm.. err.." Aina really couldn't answer. While Gramps could weakly smile and let out a chuckle.

"It's alright, Miss Aina. Please, go on about your business." Gramps told her.

Aina looked at him with a surprised face, before smiling at him. "Thank you, Gramps."

Then she skipped past them with her head down, she didn't want to let anyone see her with a bright red face now, would she?

The duo watched her jog away, looking very flustered as if someone just confessed their love to her. Gramps bore a smile on his face while Flor still had her wary expression.

"Well, I guess you could say it went fine. Seeing as how she couldn't even look us in the eye." Flor stated.

"Seems so. Let the woman be. In the meantime," Gramps turned towards the walls of the orphanage. "where could that Courier be?"

* * *

' _Fuck._ ' Six grunted, taking another step with the satellite probe on tow.

His Pip-Boy had told him to venture into the forest. Worried at first, not until realizing the forest was void of any dangers or threats. Hm.. so what was the old man warning him about?

The Courier was astounded when he settled in the forest's beauty. That or he was just glad he wouldn't encounter any Spore Carriers along the way. But in truth, he admired nature's beauty. Despite being slightly afraid, reminding him of his walk into Vault 22.

And at last, he finally found the probe in a crater of it's own. Looking like it crashed and froze there for a very long time. Some animals were surrounding the giant hunk of metal, but the bad part of it is that it looks like he couldn't repair it with his current abilities, even if he had maxed out _Repair_.

Six wondered how no one bothered to check the crash site.

Now he was going back to the orphanage, while dragging a probe covered by a large layer of tarpaulin up behind him. Walking up the steep hill with visible struggle.

Man, Klein is gonna have a field day with Six.

"Six-san?" He heard a familiar voice call to him. Looking up, he saw Mehrunes standing there with her usual stoic face.

" _Umeko._ " Six began. " _What's up?_ "

He then found himself being assisted by the quiet elf, dragging the probe with another rope in hand.

"I'll help. It seems too much."

" _Um.. sure._ "

"Don't worry, I won't ask what's underneath that."

They continued their trek back to the orphanage. While they could slightly see the building in the distance, they were still a ways off. And with how heavy the satellite was, it'll be a while before they could make it to the front entrance.

The walk uphill was silent. Awkward for Six's part. He didn't know what to say, nor mumble at her range. He ignored her instead, and decided to focus his _Strength_ and _Endurance_ to the probe behind them.

"How are you holding up?" Umeko broke the silence.

" _I'm back to my normal state. Thanks for asking._ " Six replied with composure.

…

" _Why are you helping me?_ "

Umeko slightly recoiled at his sudden words that were filed with a slight bit of venom, as if he was trying to get rid of her. Six—in his mind—regretted his sudden outburst. Covering his mouth in regret.

"I'll be blunt, I'm very wary of your closeness with Aina." Umeko told him.

" _What, many guys tried to flirt with her or what?_ " Six jested.

"Yes, in fact." Umeko admitted. To which Six slightly snickered, receiving a glare from the elf. "Whatever happened between you two last night is between you two only. However.."

She looked to him, with ice in her eyes.

"You hurt her in anyway. I will **punish** you."

…

Six nodded, unfazed by her threat. But got the message clearly.

" _Guess I can get your meaning._ " He acknowledged her death glare.

"Thank you." Umeko said, glad that he understood.

They kept on walking uphill, the orphanage ever-so slightly gaining closer.

" _I made promises to Aina already._ " The elf looked towards his way, a confused expression planted on her face. " _I don't plan on breaking any of it anytime soon._ "

Umeko stood there at him, both stopping in their tracks. Six's serious demeanor bouncing off of Umeko, whose stoic face suddenly smiled weakly. Letting out a scoff as Six waited for her to continue on.

"Thank you." She said. "For taking care of Aina. I only wish for you to extensively take care of her."

Six smiled at her statement. " _I intend to._ "

Their walk back to the orphanage ended in no time. As they were about to reach the front entrance, Six saw a medium sized caravan packing up and preparing their own caravaneers for departure. Immediately, Six called to their attention.

" _Hey! You guys!_ " The men and women of different races glanced to his direction. " _How much for bringing some heavy stuff while guarding the caravan?_ "

"Excuse me?" One dwarf asked, as Six stopped midway with Umeko by his side.

" _Look. I'll pay your caravan big money to help me bring some stuff to Orario while I also guard your shit. I just need to know if you're willing to help me or not._ "

The dwarf looked in contemplation, before letting out a reply. "What's your price?"

" _You tell me._ " Six answered back.

"Then if so, I want 20 grand of Valis for our compensation."

" _How about a reasonable price of 13,000?_ "

"Sold." The Dwarf let out his thumb in approval. "Now where's your luggage?"

* * *

" _Excuse me._ " Six uttered, passing through a nun as he made his way to his room with a Boaz and a muscular Elf following suit.

Six asked what time would they leave, getting 1pm for an answer. Which to him was enough to prepare and end things with the people he met here. Well.. not really end it. He asked for some assistance for bringing a heavy pack of luggage to the caravan. His probe already took up enough space as it is, now his Power Armor frame would make things different.

As he went down the stairs with two haulers behind, Sister Flor and Gramps watched the man prepare his expedition to the center of the world, Orario.

"Looks like he's really going into Orario." Gramps muttered.

"Which is why he'll need most of the help he can get." Flor added.

The old man let out a lighthearted laugh, shaking his head right after. "That reminds me, I have to write something. I'll be back later."

Flor ignored the big old man walk past her and out the corridor, as she contemplated on what kind of help Six needs for his time in Orario.

Then she realized she still had that favor she could pull off.

* * *

It was time.

It's just minutes away before his long walk to the center of the world. It would feel like home.. not really. It wasn't a New Vegas, the Orario being described in the books doesn't bear that certain atmosphere like it does back in the Mojave. Not that plenty of violence, or the looming threat of anyone who would foolishly try to attack the Strip. But the people living in it, it would remind him of his first time in the Strip. Being a nobody among nobodies.

Now, he was the Wildcard among nobodies.

This time, he wanted to blend in. He was willing to take chances, even if it meant showing off his extraterrestrial technology.

His temporary room was now empty of his belongings. His weapons gone, the makeshift objects he did, now back to it's original form. Including his Power Armor, which he saw was very broken to the bone. When he had to bring that to the caravan, he had to carry the damn thing along with the two he brought down into.

He took a mental note to never, EVER, do some shit like that again.

He just pulled the lever on his sniper, before slinging it over his shoulders. He locked on his Elite Riot Helmet in place, a small sound of pressurized air being pressed into. He turned to the direction of the stairway, only to see Sister Flor. Standing there with a letter on hand. Six scoffed, shaking his head as he walked to where she was.

" _Something on your mind?_ " The Courier asked through his Riot Helmet.

"Here, something to help you with." She replied, handing him a piece of paper. What did she have to help him? Money? A secret weapon? Some aiding item? "Just follow the address of the letter, and show it to them."

" _Huh._ " Six looked closely at the letter in hand. Nodding, as he tucked it away in his coat. ' _111\. Catherine Vault, Daedalus St._ '

" _Thank you,_ Sister." He thanked her. His voice filled with genuine gratitude that Flor can sense. " _And I'm sorry. For what I've done._ "

"Please. You've helped us, the entire village, and Aina." She held his firm shoulder. "You should've seen the townspeople. They were ecstatic when Ryoto came to their door, telling them that Rakia will leave and forget the town."

Six smiled behind his helmet. " _Ok then. I'll be taking my leave._ "

"Take care, Six." Flor watched as he walked past her and up the stairs.

The Courier turned to face her one last time. " _You too. Stay out of trouble._ "

He walked up again, as Flor stood there. Feet frozen on the spot. A weak smile painted on her face.

* * *

"Six!" The person in question faced towards the speaker.

" _Gramps?_ " He saw the old man jogging to him. With another piece of parchment on hand. ' _What, another reward?_ '

Gramps skidded to a halt, panting for a bit before handing him the paper. "Here, both a reward and a request."

" _Request?_ " He swiped the piece of paper from his hand. He guessed there was a reward coming, but a request?

Six tried to pry the letter open– keyword being _tried_ ; because he couldn't pull the letter open. "Hehe, sealed that up with a special bond that only a certain person can open."

" _Hm. I see._ " He still had a question in mind. " _So.. about the reward?_ "

"Oh, about that! You will be having to fulfill my request first. Well, two requests to be exact."

" _And what would those be?_ "

"I would like you to hear to what I have to say first." Six raised a brow behind his helmet, as Gramps prepared his dry throat. "Officially, I'm supposed to be dead. You would ask why I am, well.. my grandson needed to pursue his dream. I was the only one that was hindering him from reaching his goal."

" _And what would that goal be?_ "

"That is not important. What is important is this, bring the letter to the God Hermes. He will understand my wishes. And my second wish.." He clapped his hands together, bowing slightly in front of Six. "Please watch over my grandson! You won't miss him. His hair is white as snow, his eyes are red as crimson. And you can feel he's the most naive young kid in the entire world–"

" _His name..?_ "

"Pardon?"

" _His name?_ "

...

"...Bell Cranel."

...

" _Ok then._ "

He tucked in the letter.

" _So, I give this to Hermes and I get my prize?_ "

"Very much."

" _Don't tell me he'll be the asshole who'll give me his choice of a reward._ "

Gramps chortled. "I wish I would do something like that. But seeing you need as much help as you can get, this reward would be worth it."

The old man had one last favor in his hands, he only hoped Hephaestus would still remember him securing the Hephaestus Familia a lifetime's worth of Mithril down from the Deep Floors.

" _It better be._ " Six adjusted his overcoat. " _Does the town know you're dead?_ "

"Yes. I told them to stick to my plan, and even my neighbor played along by being the one to tell my grandkid that I died in the mountains."

" _That's quite an asshole thing to do. You know that?_ "

"Besides, the town was at the period of overpopulation. Someone had to go. And my Bell had to go to follow his dream, one way or another."

" _Pfft. Keep telling yourself that, old man._ " Six slapped his shoulder, as he turned tail and headed for the exit. Pausing all of a sudden, Gramps heard him say his last words to him. " _Thank you, old man. And I'm sorry. For being an asshole._ "

"–!" Gramps couldn't say any other thing but be caught off-guard.

He remembered himself threatening Six for talking rudely to Sister Flor. He felt he deserved to body slam him into the floor at that moment. And now, he's apologizing for it.

Right now, he didn't have the will to speak out at least a word. Which led Six to continue on out to the exit. Too late to apologize himself. He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. Not noticing an elderly nun walking up the stairs and sparing a glance towards him.

"What are you doing here?" Sister Flor's voice made Gramps look up to her face.

"Eh, giving that Courier something to help him along the way." He answered.

"Hrmph, seems we both intended to do that."

"You pulled in a favor?"

"Heh, you have no idea how many I have."

* * *

' _Hm, guess they're at the highway._ ' Six thought to himself.

He looked upon the empty road of the front entrance. He told the caravan to either stay put there or wait somewhere near their path out of the town. Which lead him to guess where they could probably be at.

He turned back to the orphanage, facing it one last time. Reminiscing his short but meaningful memories he made here. The secrets exchanged between Umeko and him. The help and talks he had with Flor and Gramps, including the time he even got angry at them. And not to forget the most memorable ones he made here, the moments he had with Aina.

Fuck, he's really going to miss her.

"Six!"

Speak of the devil.

Six started to take off his helmet, facing Aina once more with his true face. His helmet fizzing with pressurized air as he pulled out his helmet and sectioned it on his hip.

" _Hey Aina_ –"

"Wait!"

She cut him off, and leapt at him with her lips on his cheek. Planting a small kiss on it.

Six silently gasped, and felt his cheeks radiate into pink again. Not prepared for the kiss Aina gave him.

She stepped back from him with her hands intertwined with his. A joyous smile written on her face.

Six couldn't help but mirror that same joyous smile. Gripping her hands tighter.

And he wasn't prepared for Aina planting her head to his armored chest. Moaning as she felt like sleeping on him, even if he's wearing that armor. Six answered by letting his head fall on hers, caressing the back of her hair.

He wasn't aware of some people watching them both.

The moment after, Aina stepped back and met his eyes. She could feel happiness under that hunk of hell and misery. The fact that she made this war-filled person happy and with him also making her happy made her remember the most happiest day of her life.

The day where she, her daughter, and her husband were together.

She chuckled. "I know you might visit later on, but.."

Six felt his palms being handed something. He looked at what she handed him, a small square plate that was coated in jet black. It had some hieroglyphs and characters he couldn't comprehend.

He heard Aina laugh weakly. "Just press the button here," She pointed to the side of the object. "and you'll meet me in your consciousness."

Six raised a brow at that, not understanding what she quite meant. Seeing this, Aina reassured him. "Don't worry. Just do that while you're sleeping, and I'll meet you there."

" _At anytime?_ " Six suddenly asked.

"Hehe~ anywhere."

They stood there, both eyes still pointed at each other.

And as if instinct ruled over them, they both hugged each other. The embrace being tight and deep, with Six letting his head rest on her shoulder.

" _Fuck, I'll really miss you._ "

"Eh, come on now Six." They both ended the hug, smiling at each other one last time as Six strapped back his helmet. "Now go Six. You have a place to find and go home."

" _Sheesh, I'm going._ " He stated as Aina shoved him further to the exit. " _Goodbye. Aina._ "

"Goodbye Six." She replied, clutching her rapidly beating heart. Her smile not wavering, and so did the blush on her cheeks.

* * *

' _12 'o clock._ ' Six thought, pulling down his wrist.

He saw the caravan waiting for him in the distance. As he walked, the dwarf noticed him from afar and started waving at him to come faster. Seeing that, Six jogged and picked up the pace. While gripping the strap on his sniper as he felt the All-American swing around with it's own strap.

"What took you so long you ass?" The dwarf yelled as Six came near.

" _A long goodbye. That's what._ " Six replied, bringing his gaze to the guards and other caravan traders. " _So, we good to depart?_ "

"Heh, you tell us." The lead guard answered. Then brought it's eyes to it's teammates. "Alright, let's get on with it!"

The entire caravan immediately moved to it's feet. The pack animals–that being dogs, a mule and a horse–also caught on as the caravan started moving. Six immediately ran in front to take lead, drawing out his desert camo sniper and prepared to watch over the group.

And as he did, he pulled out one Holomix to play along the walk.

It wouldn't hurt to play some good tunes, now would it?

[ _Blue moon, you saw me standing alone.._ ]

[ _Without a dream in my heart. Without a love of my own~_ ]

* * *

It was midnight.

Hours ago, he asked the guards on what dangers are there to expect. Replied with Crawlers and Skeevers. After a brief description, he maintained lookout on those threats. Sure enough, he shot down 7 of each kind along the way. Two creatures of such coming out every after hour or so. Slowly, he took note that the environment went from grasslands to desert dunes very quickly. One environment that he quickly accepted and accommodated. Not like the others who weren't used to the Kansas and Nevada heat.

After some trek, they found an oasis by evening. Where they decided to set up camp. Minutes after, tents and a campfire was quickly set up. When the time came to decide on who takes watch, Six immediately volunteered to guard all night. Half the group were accepting with that, while the other remains were refusing to let that happen. In the end, Six ignored whatever they said and decided to take watch all night. He's used to not sleeping. So doing this was a piece of cake.

Now here he was, inspecting his remaining supplies left in his Pip-Boy while the nightly campfire cackled in front him. His Pip-Boy played some nightly jazz to help the others ease in their sleep. Good thing he asked Klein and the others to give him a Holotape copy of the blues music that played in the Mysterious Broadcast signal on his Pip-Boy.

After having enough of the fire, he wandered around the campsite. With his sniper on hand. The one thing he mostly watched was the beautiful night sky, one that he wasn't used to back in the Mojave since pollution covered the heavens. Making him unable to see the beautiful night that Luna may grant him. He indulged in the sky, along with the peaceful silence since he paused his Pip-Boy.

He slowly reflected over the moments he shared with Aina. The most prominent thought that was overpowering his mind was when she said that she loved him for meaning well. He never had moments like those back in the Wastes, and not even his parents could say something like that to him. That or he just doesn't remember them saying something like it.

He chose to sit down on the sand. Letting his rifle rest beside him. He watched over the sky, while also watching over the dunes. The only thing this was missing was a bottle of whiskey, a set of corpses around him, and a trail of blood around the Courier.

He fought the urge of using the item that Aina gave him. He was scared because he thought it was only a one-use sort of item. So he thought of saving it for a good moment. So instead, he stopped thinking, cleared his head, and instead.. watched the night sky radiate it's beautiful stars.

' _I wish I could do more of this._ '

When all of a sudden, he heard some growling to his west. He aimed quickly, and saw some parts of the sand having an elevated object go after Six.

' _Sadly, I have to handle this kind of bullshit._ '

Good thing his silencer was attached.

* * *

"Morning Courier."

" _Morning Jack._ "

Both exchanged courtesies, as Six wiped the cloth that had turpentine doused over it around his sniper. The caravaneers still ate their morning meal, ignoring the fact that Six had a giant gash on his back. One mistake he did last night, because of a Crawler that crawled up to him and decided to give him the crawlie.

Ok, enough of that bullshit.

Six refused to eat for now, he'll eat if his life depends on it. Or if he's actually hungry. Too bad he wants to save up his Brahmin steak for another time, it might get spoiled soon.

Ah fuck it, he'll eat it later.

After an hour, they were back on the road.

Hopefully, they would reach Orario by tomorrow.

* * *

The morning sun slowly rose over the horizon. The sand gone as Six just realized that, because he was back in the grass and slowly saw the giant city with a large tower in the middle form it's shape.

He was getting near. He could see other nearby places around Orario, Melen and another city. There seemed to also be a large lake down over the fishing town. Huh, why won't they merge into one city instead?

He shoved those thoughts at the back of his head and focused on the road below. Just a few more steps until he could reach the large city of Orario.

It was day three, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw the upcoming sign just ahead of the caravan. Man, all he needs is a war, the NCR, the Legion, and a smiling robot following him from behind.

 _Welcome to Orario (2km ahead), future aspirators!_

 _Enjoy your stay!_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: And that'll do it for this chapter! I'll add right now the date for the next coming chapter.**

 **02-06-19**

 **I planned on adding more to his caravan walk, but I really couldn't think of anything else so I just decided to make it short and fast.**

 **While y'all were away and reading this, I already planned the main antagonist for this fic. The only thing is that they'll be appearing for a very later time.**

 **Also shut up if you got why Six retold the Book of Job to Aina. You must've watched too much Netflix.**

 **See ya guys next time.**


	4. The Courier Who Set The World On Fire

**Author's Notes: Late chapter, but I thought of uploading this in June just so I can prove you all wrong that I did upload it on the right date! Too bad I didn't (even though this was meant to be uploaded on the 6th of February). Anywho, Six's in is Orario now! Fun, eh? Probably. And with Danmachi Season 2 coming out soon (hopefully the movie as well), as well as summer (its 4 months of summer, yeah), I might be uploading chapters here and there.**

 **Maybe..**

 **Ah well, here's the review replies.**

 **...**

 **Reply to Dreadphoenix: Well, my character is sort of getting his image so.. thanks..? Though I hope you still stick around.**

 **Reply to .Genn: More like shoot 'em. Don't worry, one of these Deities will get some ass-kicking.**

 **Reply to thewizkid2.0: It already did lmao. Also thanks!**

 **Reply to gerome945: Is that true?**

 **Reply to Xenophos24: Little bit of both. Spoiler alert, they don't fight a Goliath in the 18th Floor.**

 **Reply to Rnij: Hope you stick around! Also, do try and watch the show, this'll get a bit confusing if you don't.**

 **Reply to UndeadLord22: I know right? Bell's pop has a weird way of thinking. Although, the letter would reach Hermes as said in the previous chap, but sure, cool cool cool cool.**

 **...**

 **With that done, here's the actual chapter!**

* * *

 **4 – The Courier Who Set The World On Fire**

Surprisingly, the pass through the gates of the gigantic city was easier than he thought. He was thinking of some 'credit check' like the entrance to the Strip. He hoped his caravan friends had some cash to spare or something, because Six is flat broke. And he just needed to convince the Guild to exchange his bottle caps, maybe the Legion Denarius coins he gathered up. Just so he can pay up what he promised to the caravan, a fair price of 13,000 Valis. It was good he wasn't rusty with his _Barter_ ing skills.

Ah well, he'll cross that bridge when he does.

But the pass through the gates, was just questions. "Your purpose in Orario?" He answered with the caravan he personally escorted. In no time, the guards let them pass through. He might've seen them get nervous with all his intimidating armor and weapons.

Wait, why does his helmet grant him 1+ to his _Charisma_ then?

But when he did pass the gates with his caravan, all eyes soon swerved to his directions. Hearing the murmurs clearly with his enhanced _Perception_ and his Elite Riot Helmet.

"Damn, who's that dude?"

"Look like he walked into a dungeon outside of Orario."

"What the hell's that weapon?"

"Papa! He looks cool!"

"No need to point it out, sonny."

"God, looks like he can give the Loki Familia a run for their money."

"Gods bless on whatever Familia he joins.."

Everything similar to what he heard. Left and right.

Six sighed, he thought blending in the crowd of uniques could've been easy. But he should've thought twice.

Ah well, he'll let it slide. If he catches hell, he'll bring hell back to where it came from.

Even if it means waging a solo-war on some big ass Familia. Well, he did beat off the Legion on his own and made a treaty with the NCR.

' _Say "hi" to Six, Orario. 'Cause he'll set the world on fire_ _._ ' Six thought.

* * *

Eina felt weirded, reminiscing recent events that transpired. First, was Bell calling out to her, soaked in Minotaur's blood. Surely, embarrassing himself and herself in front of the damn crowd. And the look on his cute little face, as if he really didn't care what the people thought of him. Next, was the idea that he headed deeper into the 5th floor of the dungeon, which sure as hell made her worried. Then, the fact he had a crush on the one and only Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein of the Loki Familia. With him asking for some info his adviser could give with her abilities. Then, the last part.. him idiotically saying 'I love you!' to her, surely caught her off-guard. Heck, she even heard some people reacting to it.

The thoughts made her sigh and blush lightly, Bell was a piece of work. But a satisfying piece of work, that is.

"Oi, Eina-san! Those papers aren't gonna organize themselves, ya know?" She heard her officemate call to her.

"Y-yes! I'm on it!" Eina reassured them, getting back to work with the small stack of paperwork and some folders in front of her. And the annoying part, she was also told to stand by the counter. Tending to the adventurers in line, so that's two jobs she needs to worry about.

Ah well, she could try and think about Bell. Not.. in the.. _weird_ way, what she thought.

"Wo-woah, who's that guy?"

"God! Sweet armor!"

She heard some murmurs, and then she heard the sounds reach the entire Pantheon. She looked up from her work, realizing that no adventurer was in her line. But it gave her a clear view, of one certain adventurer in the front door.

The combat helmet, lit up by the red visors. The green armored overcoat and beneath.. heavy armor. Padded armor on his knees, up to his boots. Pouches and casings strapped onto the chest. And the object he held on his hands, looked.. no, she hasn't even seen one of those weapons.

Who.. is this man?

Then the man's head looked up slightly, then it's red stare aimed at her. No, not in her direction, she felt the eyes on _herself_. Slight fear struck her heart, gulping down the lump in her throat.

* * *

' _Christ almighty, this attention couldn't get any worse._ ' Six thought, as the pile of murmurs just got louder. And the attention being pointed at him were getting more obvious and annoying.

He told the caravan to wait for him outside the Pantheon. Hoping to get his goods exchanged, the good thing was.. he remembered he had one spare gold bar from the Sierra Madre, in his inventory. So if the bottlecaps or the Legion coins didn't work.. well, he has an ice-breaker for it.

He looked up from where he was staring at, bringing his gaze to a single elf. The short hair, emerald eyes, cute face, toned body, wait…. He could recognize the look.

Then it clicked in him, it was Aina's daughter.

' _You are kidding m_ _e._ ' He sighed mentally, before walking over to the place with the meshed window. He noticed some other peculiar races and some strangely armored people still looking towards him. ' _Jesus fuck! There's big bodied men over here, and you're looking at the asshole with a sniper on his hands? Just another day in the damn Guild, thank you very much._ '

He looked over to the meshed window, a hooded figure shadowed by the lack of light in the tight room. He didn't see his expression, but he heard the voice breaking a bit.

"A-ah, what can I do for ya?" The scruffy man asked.

" _Can you try and exchange these things for some Valis?_ " He (again, somehow) spoke in a modulated voice, plopping out some bottlecaps and some Legion Denarius coins on the open drawer. The drawer closed immediately, and he only heard the man inspecting the caps and coins. He waited patiently, knowing those things won't work.

"Well, I can try and make do with these strange coins. But the bottlecaps? What're ye thinkin' boy-o?" The man replied, pushing back the drawer with his bottlecaps and some Valis. "I gave ye 400 Valis for the coins. But I won't be taking the caps!"

"[BARTER 45] _Aw, come on. I can tell you this, these caps aren't just your run of the mill soda bottlecap. Try giving them to a smith nearby, see if it can forge something pretty strong._ " Six passed back the bottlecaps, hoping his words of _Barter_ could work.

He only heard mumbling and grumbling. Speaking of mumbling, the whispering of the crowds around him seemed to get weaker. Which relieved him slightly.

Then the man grunted in response, a sigh following suit. "[SUCCESS] Fine. I'll try these do-hickeys for a spin, but if this is just some fake, I'll give ya a penalty for free.."

" _Thank you. How long will I wait for your response?_ " Six asked.

"Give it until tomorrow. I'll give a smith something quick to forge." He answered.

" _I see._ " Six thought screw it, as he prepared his gold bar. " _In the meantime, could I get this exchanged?_ "

Then he quietly plopped the gold ingot in the drawer, then afterwards pulling back. The man quickly gasped in shock as a response. "Ho-holy shit, where'd ya get this?"

Six shrugged. " _Got it from an old casino in the middle of nowhere._ "

"Well, yer' in luck! I can confirm if stuff like these are the real deal or not! Hm.." The man looked around the ingot in hand. He even tried flicking it with his finger, trying to see if the bar was legit or not. He tried his methods of authentication while Six was waiting.

" _Well, how much is it worth?_ " He asked.

"Ngh! Yer bullshitting me! This thing's worth a—"

" _I'm sorry, but could you say it a bit more quietly? Don't wanna make a fuss about money here.._ " Six interrupted.

"Oh, okay." The man's excited voice lowered into something discreet. "The ingot costs 300,000!"

" _Heh, I'll take it._ " Six said, not trying to push the price. It would seem a bit too obvious his pockets are jingling with cash. Then again, he always does send it through 'inventory'.

"Bah, here ye go you lucky bastard!" He said, the drawer pulling out with plenty of medium sized coins. Heh, guess he could pay the caravan now. "I'll send in the results tomorrow, lad. Thank ye."

" _Sure._ " Six replied absentmindedly, turning from the window and headed for the door.

Before stopping in his tracks.

He wondered, could he get his adventurer identification right now? I mean, the missing Familia could be a minor setback, but he can get over that completely by joining the one he can.

Although, he needed to weigh in his options first…

' _I'll look around for now._ ' He decided, postponing his ID taking process for a different time.

* * *

It's been an hour, and it was already sunset. His caravan managed to get to through the tight streets of Daedalus. They were reluctant on going into the street, explaining to him that it was a maze inside. But he had a map marker, and that beats everything. He reassured them that it was fine, and he would lead the group into the place. He was going directly to his location, but it only took so long due to the tight spots the place had been built in. Which stirred a slight problem for Six.

He was all reassured when they were taken to a spacious lot. Filled with grass and animals it seems. ' _Huh, there's a farm in the distance._ '

Six then told the caravan to drag down the stuff in the covers. Helping them along the way, and including the damn Power Armor frame, which was too heavy for the group to haul around. He didn't worry much of it, as he fixed the motion capabilities back on the way to Orario. But the armor was all that mattered.

He paid the group and wished them luck, no need for him to help them out of the street. They knew their way around anyway, no need to lessen the 13 grand Valis price for his services. He then faced what or where he was supposed to stay for now. He got angry for a bit that he was stuck in a place that felt like a maze to walk around. So he decided to traverse Daedalus through the rooftops.

' _I should have known, another orphanage to stay in._ ' He thought. Gazing upon the sight of the place, a church. A big one at that.

 _ **You have discovered**_

 _ **MARIA'S ORPHANAGE**_

' _Maria's Orphanage._ ' He repeated what the Pip-Boy UI had displayed.

Religion. It made Six sigh. Well, he was certain they weren't worshipping God. But, it did make him wonder, who were they worshipping in this place?

Putting that thought aside, he looked beside him to see his tarpaulin-covered probe and Power Armor Frame standing in the sunlight. He had to get those things inside as soon as possible, as he didn't want anyone to find out what the fuck he's been hauling throughout Orario.

He turned back to the large double doors of the church, before deciding to walk up to it and—

"Um, hello there."

The door suddenly opened and revealed an elderly woman. Looking like a nun from back at the village. She had a wary expression over her face, not certainly welcoming it seemed.

"..may I help you?" She continued.

" _Yes, actually. I have, this._ " He let out a piece of parchment. He smiled in relief behind the helmet, the letter was still intact after all that shooting. He never even bothered to check the letter out after it was given to him.

The elderly nun took the parchment from him, as she began unfolding and reading it's contents. Meanwhile, Six had to wait awkwardly. Crossing his arms as he could hear the nun's murmuring, probably was reading the letter.

Then she let down her hand, revealing a surprised expression. Aimed towards the Courier. "A favor?"

It seemed slightly threatening for Six. But he wouldn't think past that. " _Um, excuse me?_ "

"Flor wants to make it even, by making you live with us." She held down that surprised expression and seemed a bit bored. A bit angered if you could consider it.

" _So.. that's what she wrote? Huh, ok._ " Six really didn't know what to think of it. Him living in the church. Well, he did have a guess that it's where he'll be staying. But he wasn't that certain. " _Um.. are you going to..?_ "

"Of course I will. It's just that.. well.."

"Mother Maria! Where's the key?"

"D-don't worry Rye! I'll be there shortly!"

" _Um.. maybe you should handle them first. Can I help?_ " Six suggested.

"Oh, um.."

"Mother Maria!" Six heard another whine. Which was followed with an elderly sigh.

"Coming, Rye!" She gestured Six to follow her, to which he did. He took in the large appearance of the church. It was even bigger inside. He could see an altar at the back, the ceiling being so ever high. Dusty pews lined up on the church floor. Some were stacked altogether, as if creating some sort of makeshift fort. But Six ignored that for now, as he followed the nun into a stairway. Leading down into another room of sorts.

"Where are you Rye?"

"In here Mother!"

Maria turned to her left and entered the pantry. Six followed suit and saw a small brown haired kid prying open a cabinet. Which clearly hasn't done any progress. The kid's excited expression turned worrisome when he saw the intimidating masked man behind the nun.

"U-um.. Mother Maria, who is he?"

"Our new guest."

"An orphan too?" The statement made Six almost snort in amusement.

"I.. wouldn't say that, but.." The nun turned to the man in green. Who waved back at the kid, hoping they'd take Six's presence lightly.

" _Heya kid. You need help with opening that cabinet?_ "

"Um.." The boy was just speechless. Six answered for him by walking forward with a screwdriver and a bobby pin on hand. Ignoring Maria shuffling through her keyring to just find the right key to open the container.

" _Alright kid. I would recommend you doing this, but just watch._ " He saw the kid not give out an answer, but had that intention of listening closely. " _So, you wedge in this little bit._ "

Six pushed in his screwdriver, then followed by placing the pin on the opposite side of the screwdriver; on top of the small lock.

" _Next, you try to find a sweet spot. You do this by wriggling around the pin as such,_ " He demonstrated by rotating his pin to the left. " _Then pushing with the screwdriver to turn the lock._ "

The small keyhole turned easily, before stopping with a clank. Meaning he wasn't close to the spot. " _Oh, see that? Means I ain't there yet. So we gotta keep finding that sweet spot.._ "

Six continued on by rotating the pin to a closer area where he could open the lock. Once he did, he pushed in the screwdriver, and saw it rotate completely into a 60 degree angle. Then the locked resounded a click. As it did, he pulled and took the screwdriver and pin from the keyhole. Then told the kid, " _Alright, now try opening it._ "

The child answered by pulling open the cabinet, doing it with ease as it revealed a supply of snacks and easy-to-cook snacks. He could hear the child being shocked and at awe.

"Awesome!" He finally heard the kid say something. Added with said child facing him with a gleeful face. "Thank you, mister! You're awesome!"

" _Anytime kid._ " Six patted his shoulder, to which the kid continued to scourge around the pantry's goods. He turned to face the nun, who watched the entire thing with a stupor expression. " _So.. what now, miss.._ "

He knew her name, he only wanted permission to say it.

"You can call me Maria.." She flipped back to the letter on her hand. "..Courier Six."

The man weakly laughed. " _Please, call me Six._ "

"I guess that works."

* * *

An hour passed, and they both walked over the orphanage's space. Room to room, stairway to stairway, Maria gave him a tour over the entire place, introducing him on what rooms he could enter and what he could not. She included that he would not disturb the orphans, unless they were disturbing him. Maria wanted little as possible interaction with Six and her children. He could guess multiple reasons why.

There was only one place left to be seen, and that was the basement. And by the time they were on their way there, it was evening already.

" _Let me guess,_ " Six began as they both walked down the stairs. " _this is where I'll be staying?_ "

Maria shoved the double metal doors open, revealing a room leveled with shelves that held many miscellaneous items. Six stared upon it all, hoping he'd find something of use around the junk.

"One more room, and that's where you'll stay." Maria stated, as they both passed through aisles of shelves only to stop upon at another metal door in the room's corner. She opened the door and revealed another set of staircases leading down. Six mentally sighed, what the fuck was up with this place and stairs?

As they reached the bottom, he was greeted upon a square room. To his right was the wall and a couch. Opposite of him was another metal door and a window. To his left was a small kitchen of his own, a dining table, a spare amount of space in the right corner, and a door just beside the refrigerator. Plus his only light source was a magic glowstone lamp that was installed in the ceiling, controlled only by a single switch to Maria's left.

" _Well.. if there's one thing I could say, is that there is no bed._ "

"Your bed is the couch, young man."

Six brought his eyes over to the piece of furniture. I mean, it didn't look that bad. Could be comfortable. Then again, he was never acquainted with the sense of comfort. Just a mattress on the floor and whatever the fuck he could drink.

" _Hey. This could work._ " He looked to the elderly nun, who was inspecting the kitchen. " _Thank you, Maria._ "

"Do not thank me. Thank Flor for your stay." Why is it that Six could sense Maria's voice being bitter?

He tried to reassure her. " _No, I mean it. If you need help, just holler on to me._ " The elder turned to the Riot Geared man. " _Hey, you saw me with your kid Rye. If I can relate to him, then I could probably help relate to your problems._ "

Then silence enveloped them, both standing in the middle of the room with eyes at each other.

"Ok, fine." She forced a smile, which didn't ease Six at all. "But you know the rules, no mingling with my kids. Got it?"

" _Yes ma'am._ " Six answered. Receiving a scoff from the nun.

"Alright, anyway. Your sink can't go to hot, or else that'll cause problems for the pump. Do not try to cook anything on the stove, you can put anything in the spare space over there. And lastly, do NOT open the bathroom sink."

' _Alright, fix the water pump, the stove and see what's wrong with the bathroom sink. Also note to self that I'd put a workbench on that spare spot._ ' He retold his miscellaneous job quotas to do. And he swore, he could sense his Pip-Boy marking all that stuff on it's own page in the 'Misc' section of his data.

"Is that clear, Six?"

" _I hear you, ma'am._ "

"Can you please drop the 'ma'am'?"

" _Will do, mother._ " Six smirked behind his helmet. Allowing Maria to sigh.

"Okay, additional note. That door over there is a backdoor entrance. Here's a key to it." She plopped said key onto the kitchen counter. "Is there anything else?"

…

" _None Maria._ "

"Good. If you need anything, you know where to find me." She stated as she began trotting up the staircase. As she was out of sight, Six turned back to his room with a smile.

' _This'll be fun._ '

* * *

' _What a big house._ ' Was all Six thought as his eyes were set upon the Hermes Familia manor.

The day followed, and Six found himself upon a green-ish home lined with concrete and protected by outside gates. He spent his night fixing his things and storing away things he didn't need. Like the amount of junk he can use to create new ammunition. Of course, this planet hadn't invented bullets yet. So Six had to spare his ammo.

Shaking off the thought, he brought his attention back to the manor. He had expected some sort of living security outside the walls, but there was a lone intercom on the wallpost to the gate. After admiring the house, he walked up to the intercom and pressed down the button. A single buzz resounding from it.

After a moment, a young cheerful voice came out of the machine. "Who is this?"

" _I would like to have an urgent sudden meeting with Hermes himself._ " Six simply replied with his distorted voice. And he was answered with the voice being a bit surprised.

"U-um! May I ask what would you want to talk to him about?" He heard the voice ask, sounding a bit female.

" _Nothing that concerns you. So I would like to just—_ "

"Lulune! Who's that?" He could hear a faint voice through the speakers. The person answering caught a bit off-guard.

"Ehhh… he wants to have a word with Hermes-sama!"

Then he could hear footsteps coming closer, along with ineligible words coming out of the speakers. Before the voice changed to someone being serious.

"I would like to ask again, what business do you have with him?"

" _I tell you as I did hers. Nothing that concerns you all except him._ "

Jesus fucking Christ, is it this hard just to talk to someone? He was tempted to slip in some words of conviction. But he would like to hold off his indulgent words. Maybe a lie or two, because he might regret it in the long run.

"…I see." Was all he got from the intercom. "I will open the gate for you and tell Hermes-sama of your presence. But if you try anything.."

The fading words held a looming threat. To which Six ignored and inched on. " _Yeah, yeah. I know the drill._ "

The intercom soon died, and as it did, the front double doors instantly opened. He saw a blue-haired woman wearing glasses walk up to the front gate. A stern and serious look across her face. As she came close, her eyes were moving around while still facing him.

' _As if she's analyzing me._ ' Six thought as the gates were opened to him.

"My name is Asfi. Please follow me." She simply said. Turning around to head for the door as Six slowly followed her.

The gates and the front doors closed. Six looked around the hallway, reaching a tall ceiling and a brown-ish light palette of the room. Wooden floor patterns being the floor and the brown wooden walls beside him. He still followed Asfi while maintaining a look around the room. He wasn't impressed, but was a bit thankful for the change of scenery. He missed his gigantic suite in the Lucky 38.

"Remember, you try anything with our God. Consequences will happen." Asfi suddenly spoke up, stopping upon a set of doors. Turning to meet Six's visors.

" _The feeling's mutual._ " He simply replied, as Asfi sighed. Opening the doors ahead of her, as the next room revealed to be some sort of office room. A single large table in the middle with a person sitting on the executive chair. Holding a lone object upon his face.

"I will be closely watching you." Asfi stated. With Six ignoring it as he walked up ahead.

" _I take it you're Hermes?_ " He spoke up, breaking the God out of his trance. As if he hasn't taken noticed the presence of him and his Familia child.

"The rumored combat armored man!" The feathered hat God said cheerily. Plopping the pawn chess piece on the table of his.

' _Wow. What a great label to my character._ '

" _An important letter from the old man._ " Six continued on, ignoring the anger boiling due to him mentioning that alias. He never liked to be out on the spotlight right after the Strip gave him a reputation. He reached out his hand, the letter holding onto it. The God took it still with a smile on his face. " _There's more to that letter I take it. So I'll just wait._ "

He didn't bother to sit down on the chair in front of him. Hermes flipped it open with ease. Six scoffing, to which the God ignored but not Asfi though.

' _That old fuck really meant it for him?_ ' He thought as the lock placed on the letter worked. Opening ONLY for Hermes. Six waited patiently with his arms crossed, watching the God intently as the smile of his turned suddenly serious after a moment's worth of reading halfway through the paper.

"I see.." Then Hermes followed up his statement with a nervous laugh. "Sorry Asfi, but I'll need you to leave us two alone."

"B-but Hermes-sama—!"

"Shshh. At ease Asfi." Hermes held a finger to his mouth. Trying to reassure his Familia's captain to calm down. Well, Hermes really can't blame her. This weird guy that came into town yesterday can't be trusted with what he can do. Especially with those weapons and armor. Not to mention his behavior and his voice. Of course, in her position, Hermes would've done the same. But he wanted to hear out what he had to say, and besides, he had that gut feeling this man wouldn't lean on any ulterior motive of the sort. "Trust me on this. If I do need anything, I'll just yell."

His carefree smile made the blue-haired woman relax, but it didn't make her lose her guard. She just pouted angrily, fixed her glasses and turned for the door. "Fine."

She shut the door closed, but didn't leave her spot. She wanted to make sure nothing bad can happen to her God. He has the tendency to be careless and get pulled into crazy situations involving life and death at times. But most of it, he got away from it just fine. So she really had to calm her shit.

With that, she listened intently on the following words the two people would exchange.

" _Look, I just need the reward that you'll give. Right..?_ " Six had to make sure Gramps included in his letter the fact that he would be given a prize.

"Yeah, he did mention it on this letter. Six, right?" Hermes asked for his name.

" _Please, just call me that._ " Six inched on.

"Alright then. I'll give what you need." And this is the moment where Six felt a catch. Did the old man put some stupid fucking condition he needed to do first? "But.. let me ask you something."

Well, it wasn't anything of what Six thought though.

" _Go on._ " Six nodded.

"Hm.." Then suddenly, Hermes stared into his visors. Looking dead serious. "..are you told on what you're up against?"

Six looked unfazed. Inside and outside the mask. " _That a threat?_ "

"No, as I said, I'm just asking. Do you know what you're in for?" Hermes asked once more.

…

It was silent after that.

…

" _..Don't know, don't care._ "

For all that matters, Six doesn't give a shit on what he's up against unless he's about to cross that bridge or he knows that threat he's been told of. And as of that question, he doesn't have an idea on who would want his head here in the first place. Well.. maybe Asfi would want his head if he crossed the line.

…

Again, it was silent.

…

"I see." Then Hermes' carefree smile returned. "Well, let's get you that reward! Please, go on outside. I'll be there momentarily."

Six only nodded before turning around and closed the door behind him. Only for a loud yelp or two that was to be heard on the other side of the door. Which was then followed by an argument or so.

But Hermes ignored all of that, instead, he ducked down onto the drawer of his and pulled one out. Revealing a bunch of chess pieces made from different materials. Some were wooden, plastic, others were ceramic and the standards. But Hermes plunged his hand deeper into the drawer, which then he held onto something at the back. He reeled back his hand, and with it, was holding a rook piece that was built in Ebony.

Hermes chuckled, as he then plopped up the ebony rook beside the chess board. He looked over to his chess board once more, seeing golden or steel or simple ceramic queens, while there were two metallic colored queens. One red and one grey. Then the queens had some varying pieces surrounding them. Such as a black metallic king beside the grey queen, and a different set of colors and pieces surrounding the red queen. Three knights covering the red queen's front, a green bishop, a red knight to the right of the queen, and a golden king to the left of the queen.

'Boy oh boy.' Hermes thought. 'This man is going to have a very wild road ahead of him.'

Then he finally plopped down the ebony rook, square in the middle of the chessboard.

* * *

"Tsubaki! Where do we put this?"

"Ask the boss!"

"Just place it there Don!"

"Got it!"

It was another busy day in the workshop of the smiths. The furnace is hot and running, smelling like burnt oak for the past days. Everyone was sweating hard, normal for a Familia consisting of blacksmiths. Working hard as well, the entire environment only resounded the sounds of the hammer hitting the metal. Or the smelter working it's way, or maybe the grindstone sharpening the high-grade weapons.

Hephaestus herself is also getting busy. Telling her members on what to do, how to do, and what they could do next. And here she found herself, instructing her Familia's captain to handle the smaller matters. Mostly problems she could handle but she doesn't want to do. Such as a certain red-headed smith being a nuisance to the Pantheon.

Tsubaki nodded. Turned tail and headed for the barn door. Hephaestus sighed once more, preparing her self—both mentally and physically—for another set of problems the day has planned for her.

She was wishing in her mind that something interesting could happen today.

"Oi, Hephaestus!"

She takes back that statement.

That voice couldn't have made a worse possible entry. Her eye widened hearing that sentence, but managed to hold her composure as she turned to meet the eyes of the god of…

Basically the whole fucking economy.

"What do you want, Hermes?" Hephaestus scoffed. Crossing her arms with her left eye closed.

"Well.. what a way to treat a friend, hmm?" She could hear Hermes' voice teasing.

"I'm serious, what are you doing….!"

When she opened her eye, she found Hermes in front of her. His signature carefree smile and his feathered hat on. And behind him, is the loudest rumor that has rocked the core of Orario ever since the Sword Princess hit the record for being the quickest to level up to Level 2.

Nah, Hephaestus was probably exaggerating.

"I need a favor." Hermes smiled, as if he was ignoring a certain Wildcard from behind.

Hephaestus scoffed once more, what could he possibly ask for?

* * *

"WHAT?!" Hephaestus exclaimed. Her surprised voice was fortunately locked in the office of hers. However, she was hit with the largest shock of all. "How do you know this isn't a prank?!"

"Are you seriously suggesting that an out-of-place person came all the way down from a village deep in the mountains to give me some sort of prank letter from a god I most certainly know he's dead?"

The Divine God of Smithing grumbled with a pout at Hermes' exposition.

"Besides, who would—nowadays—use the old man's signature to.. no, scratch that. Who would know Zeus' real signature?" Hermes proved his point.

"So, he really found him in a village deep in the mountains?" Hephaestus asked.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Hermes threw his arms at her.

"And why is he now, just now, trying to make contact with us?"

"I would tell you if I knew. But, he did already tell us to watch over some boy with white hair, red eyes.. hmm.."

"That description…"

"Why? You familiar with who could it be?"

"Why would that old geezer be interested in Hestia's child?"

"Hestia has a child?"

Hephaestus scowled at his joke.

"Right.. right.." Hermes uttered with awkwardness cut in his voice.

"But seriously, this.. request he's asking of you sounds pretty serious." Hephaestus told him.

"I know. I'm even considering to visit where he is. Have a straight talk with him." Hermes replied.

"Even the fact that he's cashing in a favor that he had back then." The red-haired goddess clenched the paper on the table.

"I know right? I didn't even know that he got you sold on a mountain of mithril!"

"Actually, we still have mithril reserves from over those 25 years."

She cannot forget the time he rolled in with his Familia hauling a load of shiny ores on wheels. Damn that old bastard.

"So.. that old dumbass is saying that he wants to help _that_ man..?" Hephaestus laid her one eye on the window. Aiming for the man, armored in a way that looks out of this generation.

Hermes followed her gaze. Moving his chair to look at where she's looking. "Yep. He added the detail that he's trying to find some sort of displacement magic."

"Displacement magic? Wasn't that dead for over a millennia?"

"Not this time. He told us that _that_ guy outside the door, leaning on the wall, used it to get to this side of the planet." Hermes pointed towards the ground.

"This side of the planet?"

"Means that he's from some faraway land that has better looking stuff than we do."

"Hasn't Artemis traveled outside of the continent?"

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about her.." They both dazed off. Thinking about the goddess who went out with her Familia to go hunt for some sort of monster. "Yeah, she's probably dead by now."

 _Slap._

"OW! What was that for?!" Hermes whined, rubbing the spot where he was slapped.

"Don't ever say things like that. Especially with a good goddess like her." Hephaestus huffed.

"I know I know."

"So, should we proceed with how we're going to help _that_ guy?"

"That old man said we could reward him in anyway possible. Hm, a drink? A woman? A weapon, armor? Knowledge?"

Hephaestus suddenly stood from her chair. "We should just ask him instead."

"Right, right, right, right…" Hermes repeated as she followed suit the red-haired goddess out the door.

" _Took you both long enough._ " The masked man spoke.. someway.

Hephaestus recoiled from that statement. She didn't expect such a distorted voice emerge from the helmet. She chuckled as she started making talk with the armored man. "We deduced that we should ask you instead on what you would want. The old man told us that we can reward you anything you want."

Then Hermes stepped in, poking his head into the conversation comically. "So what will it be? Sex? A delicious meal? Oo! How about a certain something that could be crafted by Hephaestus herself!"

Said goddess slapped his head away. "Enough you fool. Anyway, we wanted to know what would you like to get?"

" _What would I like to get..?_ " Then the man started humming. Putting his finger down to his cheek as he started to think deeply about what he would want.

This may take a while—

" _I need every workbench you can provide._ "

Never mind that was pretty quick.

* * *

" _Thank you guys. Tell Hephaestus my thanks._ " Six's radioed.. voice? Spoke. The two haulers simply nodded with a stern expression. Right after, they turned and walked up the steps and out of the back entrance.

Six slammed the metal door shut and turned to meet containers and more bigger containers that holds the pieces of his needed workbenches. Damn, he'll have to set up a weapon workbench, a reloading workbench, a forge for his armor, and maybe even a fucking chemistry station. And he'll create all of these from scratch.

' _That was dangerous._ ' His mind remembered what he could feel in the workshop. He felt eyes were on him. Observing him—more of observing his armor—and spoke discreetly. They thought they could hide away but Six could hear amongst them. He sighed. While he wasn't threatened, it felt disturbing to be in an environment where Six was the piece of meat in the lion's den.

They were all hungry for his armor.

Putting that experience aside, he looked back to the pile before him.

' _So how the fuck is all this going to fit here?_ ' He thought to himself. Disturbed with the idea of his entire room being crampy and claustrophobic. ' _Maybe I'll break the walls down. Maria never mentioned anything about renovation, now did she?_ '

Bend the rules, if you will.

So he picked up the sledgehammer beside him. ' _Although, I have to make this quiet._ '

" _Fucking_.." Six uttered. Lowering and relaxing his hold on the hammer.

"Woah.." He then heard a new amazed voice enter his ear. Turning to the speaker, he found a brown haired boy that had some complexion over his face. Who was bringing his eyes upon the boxes.

" _Rye?_ " Six spoke, which startled Rye out of his trance. He nervously looked to the source.

"Mr. Adventurer?" The child only asked.

Six only chuckled. " _You can call me Six, y'know?_ "

"S-Six.." Rye's voice repeated. Now looking relaxed as he pondered about the name.

Six gently plopped the hammer by the wall, and walked up to the child. He spoke while crouching to Rye's eye level. " _Aren't you supposed to be upstairs?_ "

"Eh?" The lad said, looking dumbfounded.

" _Hasn't mother Maria told you all to not visit me?_ " Six asked.

"Ehm.. mother didn't really say anything.." The child's voice faded.

" _Are you sure?_ " Six asked. Rye nodded frantically. "[SPEECH 20] _I'll ask mother Maria if she has told anyone._ "

Then that set off Rye.

As soon as Six started standing from his kneel, Rye yelled and tugged the Courier back. Six smiled under his helmet, ' _Good. At least kids still listen to me._ '

"[SUCCESS] No! Please don't tell!" Rye exclaimed. Six turning to meet the child's worried eyes.

" _Hehe, don't worry kid. I won't._ " Six's smile furthered behind his helmet. Placing a hand on Rye's hair. Scruffing it as the kid nervously smiled. " _Just don't try and visit me. Only do it with mother Maria around_."

"Why?" Rye frowned at the explanation. Six removing his hand from Rye's mane.

" _Eh, she doesn't trust me around you kids_." Six stood and walked past Rye. " _Besides, that's for the best._ "

Rye tilted his head at that. "Why is that?"

" _Hm.. you'll understand one day when you're older._ "

While Rye is young, Six was just too lazy to explain morality and the danger they'd face if he had a price on his head.

" _So you.._ " Six picked up the sledge and turned to Rye. " _..want some cocoa?_ "

"Um.. sure." Rye answered weakly.

Six turned back to the kitchen and pulled open a random cupboard. Crap, he's gonna have to add sugar to his black coffee since he doesn't have any cocoa.

' _Forgive me, Maria._ '

"Hey.. Six-san." Rye called to Six as he plopped himself on Six's couch. Six hummed in response, thus allowing Rye to continue. "Have you been on some wild adventures?"

' _You mean stuff like me destroying the whole Fort by myself, stuck in a Deathclaw promontory and with bare supplies or maybe chasing Red Bear around the Mojave and in the end I had to kill Sergio Booth in a wild west shootout?_ '

" _You could say that._ " Six felt a catch. " _Why?_ "

"I've always wanted to be an adventurer one day! Maybe when I grow up, I'll help mother Maria in the orphanage by going to the Dungeon. I'll make memories and money!"

Six thought that Rye's enthusiasm was applaudable. But his ideals, they need some work. However, he can't be blunt about the dangers of being an adventurer. After all, this kid is different than any other children in the Mojave, let alone the whole Wasteland.

In the end, the best that Six could say was this.

" _Are you sure that's what you desire?_ "

"Yup!"

" _Then give it a second thought. Make sure you really want it._ "

Rye was confused. The silence returned as Rye waited for another word from Six. Who turned around with two smoking mugs on his hands.

" _Just think about it. Consider all your options._ " Six plopped the mugs and sat on the couch with the brown-haired kid. " _Will you do that for me?_ "

Rye sort of got what Six was itching onto. "Got it!"

Six smiled, hoping Rye would keep his word. " _Good. Now want some sweet cocoa?_ "

"Yep!" Rye answered as he cautiously took the hot mug from Six's hands.

" _Oh drink that carefully._ "

"Got it." Six only watched the child. Idly smiling at the sight. Not taking his helmet off as he decided against it and was thinking deeply.

Until there was someone down the stairs.

"Six, how would you like to have some—Rye! What are you doing here?!" Mother Maria exclaimed at the sight.

" _Oh I invited him here._ " Six spoke before Rye could've even explained himself.

Maria only grumbled at his statement. "Haven't I told you to not invite my children into your room?"

" _Yeah._ " Six replied.

Maria sighed this time, tired at Six's antics. "Well, would you like to eat some dinner with us—"

" _Nope, see ya, bye!_ " Six said as he swiftly grabbed his weapons and left for the backdoor. Leaving Rye and Maria at a sight like that.

While Six was walking outside into Daedalus, his mind crept back onto his conversation with Rye.

' _When did I become that soft?_ '

* * *

He walked the streets of Orario once more. And again, the eyes swerving to his direction. He knew by now the word of an intimidating adventurer with the combat gear strolled the streets of the city. Some were interested to see, others were disappointed by what he looked. Some were terrified of what he looked like, and others seemed they wanted a fight.

No matter, all he needed right now is some dinner. He wasn't up for taking supper with the orphanage again, as it just puts some weight in his mind if he tries to do something like that again. He walked the city, finding mostly bars and some fancy restaurants. Although, none of them caught his eye.

' _That's a potion shop, that's a herb shop. A boring clothes shop.. huh, a pub?_ ' Six stopped in his tracks before a bar. Weird, this one somehow got his interest, looking over the grass green and brown colored bar. He saw through the windows, all wooden and somehow liked the feeling. ' _Maybe I could try this._ '

Then his Pip-Boy bleeped, this time, notifying him of an important location, it seems. He saw it through his UI.

 _ **You have discovered**_

 ** _THE HOSTESS OF FERTILITY_**

' _The Hostess of Fertility?_ '

He shrugged, before heading to the small step of stairs and through the door. As he was about to step inside, a leaf-haired forest-elf greeted him.

"Hello there, welcome to the Hostess of Fertility." She answered in an uninterested voice. Her blue eyes.. it reminded him of Umeko. "Table for?"

" _For one._ " Six answered, as the cute waitress—okay seriously, what the fuck? He saw the waitresses looking young and damn cute. In fact! The guys eating inside looked more interesting than he did for fucks sake!

He shook it off, as the elf before him pointed Six to the bar. "Please have a seat there."

The Courier stepped in, and with that, another round of glances and stares were aimed at him. All murmuring in a curious voice, with the same sentences from before. Well, it seemed the only one who didn't care what he looked like was the elf. But no need to think of it too much. He sat upon the stool, and waited there at the bar. It seemed he got a corner spot between the wall and the bar. Lucky.

The elf from before stood beside him, with a notepad on hand. "What would you have?"

" _Well, what do you have?_ " He asked, as the waitress only pointed towards the menu. Which was the big problem, he couldn't understand what it was written in. Ah fuck it, no need to be more suspicious. He just winged it.

" _I'll have some noodles, maybe with chicken. And.. do you serve coffee at this time?_ " He asked, as he needed the drink for an all-nighter. He forgot his coffee back at the orphanage, and it seems his fatigue is catching up to him, because he needs most of the energy to function through the evening.

The elf only nodded, before writing it down on her notepad. "Anything else?"

" _That's all, thanks._ " With that, the elf immediately nodded and left him to wait for his meal.

Six was unsure to pull out his Pip-Boy and start scrolling through the contents, as it was suspicious enough that he wore some armor that stood out along with his weaponry. Hell, his Gobi Sniper Rifle that was at his back didn't help him in the slightest. So he just decided to look around the people who were looking at him. When he did stare back, the silence went through and they turned their heads back to their own business.

He looked around, inspecting each and every single person. Including the waitresses. ' _So, some magician with cards over there. Mostly the ones are just the usual looking adventurers. Men, armored, looking scruffy and more interesting than me. There's a big table in the middle there.. ah well, I don't care. Then.. the white-haired dude. Pfft, also scared at me, looking back to the waitress beside him. Silver hair and same eyes. Jesus, there's also a cat person._ '

"Oi! You there, one with the helmet!" He heard a thick woman voice call to him. He turned to the source, a towering woman, looking like she was meant to run the pub. He could guess she was the one in-charge. "Take off that helmet and gloves, I have rules here in the place, you know?"

" _Got it._ " He simply replied, taking off the lock on his helmet, the pressurized air flushing out. He took off the Riot Helmet, then placed it on his hip. He slowly took off his gloves, once he did, he tucked them into his overcoat.

"Well, well. For a guy wearing that type of stuff, you look cute for it." The woman who called out to him said with a smile.

" _Christ, lady. I'm not that cute._ " Six replied, waving off her compliment.

"Nonsense kid. Well, eat up. Here's your order." She says, passing him a large bowl with noodles, egg and some meat. The smell, it was good. And another object was passed to him, a ceramic mug. Heating up, and saw the black coffee. Just what he liked.

He simply dug in, enjoying the meal this place offered. Pfft, could beat Aina's cooking in one swift move.

Then he heard the cat person's voice call out. "Nya! The customers with reservations have arrived, nya!"

Christ, that 'nya' will annoy the fuck out of him.

But the people around, they looked with a bit of a shock with who it was.

What arrived after the cat waitress, was a big group. The one leading it, a red-haired woman, looking older than she lets on and being open to her clothing. Then again, her chest isn't all impressive. Behind her, another cute girl. Like her, a bit more revealing, just a cloth on her waist that covered it. Her tits ain't recognizable either. The one small midget beside her, blonde and the blue eyes. He felt something more than meet the eye with that person.

Behind the midget man, was the other cute girl beside him. Looks like they were both Amazonians. But with her, the big tits and the small bra, Christ, as if she were a slut. The difference between her and the other—aside from breasts—were the hairstyles and the pattern of clothing. Beside the hefty girl, was a good-looking werewolf. He rarely saw those types of animal people around these parts, and he looked like he doesn't want to talk to people. He wore that silver jacket that matched his silver hair and ears, seeing some mark on his left cheek there, fangs out.

Next, was a dwarf, looking like some sort of Jesus. What with the hair and the beard, it could resemble that. Then he was armored, like, really armored—heavy armor. Beside him was some young forest elf, the yellow-orange hair and the purple eyes, along with the pink attire. They stood out. Following suit was a green-haired elf, green eyes accompanying it. Hair tied to a small one, and looked damn serious. Wait…

' _Target acquired._ ' Six grinned.

Then the last one, another cute girl. Blonde and gold eyes, the white clothes standing out. He swore he heard some portion of the bar to gasp out when she walked in. Hearing also some murmurs on who it was.

"Yo, she looks hot!"

"Dumbass! Look at that emblem, they're the Loki Familia!"

"You mean, the giant-slayer Familia?"

"Damn right, idiot!"

"So that's the Sword Princess..?"

Then Six let out a weak chuckle when he saw the white-haired kid with red eyes looking all flustered and frozen in place. Pretty sure it was when 'Sword Princess' walked into the room. A little salt on top, was when the waitress beside him tried to wake him from his trance. It was a sight to laugh at, that's what it was.

Then his mood fell quickly, realizing this group, had one thing in common. They all looked more interesting than he did. Jesus Christ, what was with him and looks nowadays?

The entire table they sat on was filled almost immediately, food and alcohol, drinks. Then the red-haired one, or the one he recognized as 'Loki, Goddess of Mischief' from what he could weakly gather from the other adventurers, stood out with her mug on hand.

"Good work in the dungeon, y'all! Eat up! And.." Her gleeful look turned dead serious on the next part. "..drink as much as ya want. Cheers!"

Then the group smacked mugs and cups. With that, almost the entire Pub returned to their own businesses. Including Six, who just dug into his food and ignored that Familia.. wait.

Loki, a Goddess, just sat beside him with a large smack on her head. She tried to ignore it by drinking it off with her mug. This was his chance, a chance into a Familia. The best part, was that his main target was in it.

Riveria Ljos Alf. The one Aina had told him about.

But his mind told him not to. He didn't know why, because of such, he was battling his own decision to join the Familia in front of him or not. Then, his mind pried not to because this wasn't a formal way of doing so. Maybe he'd look around a bit longer. Tomorrow, he should watch some Familias do their own businesses. So he made a mental note to endorse the Loki Familia, as the one he needed to talk to the most was just there.

Ah fuck, might as well enjoy the meal.

Not until he heard someone in the Loki Familia mumbled out some words of annoyance.

"Hey hey, is that the lone adventurer guy?"

"Oh, is he? I've heard the stuff around town lately."

"Seems he's mostly judged by his appearance.. and weapons."

' _Goddamnit. Fuckers looking right at my sniper._ ' Six thought, tuning out the rest of what they had to comment about him. Even the big Familias were learning of him. His attention does not bode well.. it could get him into trouble. A deep one.

The Courier just continued to dig into the meal, all the while sipping his black coffee.

"Oi, you drinkin' coffee at this time of the night?" He heard someone beside him talk. Looking to it, was the Goddess of Mischief with a mug on hand.

The Courier just passed her a look, before sipping into his coffee further and continued eating the noodles.

"Gonna pull some all-nighter, kiddo? Hell, with the rumors around town, ya look like yer—"

" _..yeah, yeah, say what you want about me, Miss Loki. I just don't want to hear it in my ears,_ " Six had enough, hoping this would quiet down the Goddess a little about the rumors. " _makes me annoyed with.. all the bullshit they haven't seen._ "

He expected the Goddess to just find him rude or something, but she just chuckled. "Heheh, a feisty one. Eh? I like those types of guys, hee hee."

' _I can see why they call you Goddess of Mischief._ ' Six mused, sipping another into his coffee, and realizing he was almost done with his meal.

"To be honest kiddo, ya really look out of place for a place of weird people. Ya know that?" Loki said, taking a swig into her mug.

" _Gee, as if I haven't heard of that._ " Six sarcastically replied. " _Pff, all I need now is some village elder telling me that I'm the Chosen One or some bullshit._ "

"Heheh, ya really are a hothead, aren't ya?" She said, another deep swig into her drink. "I kinda like ya, kiddo. Tell me, what Familia are ya from?"

His eyes slightly widened, but his expression unchanged. He slurped another set of the noodles. Passing a look towards Loki then ignoring her question.

"Hm, touched something I'm not supposed to, eh?" She said, her usual smile simmering a bit. "You look depressing," Loki said, taking another gulp of her drink.

" _Thanks for the compliment._ " Six raised his cup in her direction. "[SPEECH 43%] _Look, if you're looking for a buddy right now, I'm not that guy. To be frank, I just want to be left alone. I don't need to hear another word of bullshittery. That clear?_ "

"[FAILED] No promises kid!" The Goddess just smiled at him like his warning didn't leave a mark. Ah well, he should expect something like that from a Goddess of Mischief.

Six continued eating his meal, and he was surely close to finishing it. Ah well, he has to leave sooner or later. Since he really doesn't appreciate the opening remarks the Loki Familia has reserved for him.

* * *

Give or take, Six guessed it's been a long while ever since the conversation between him and Loki went silent. Minutes into him eating his food, he was done. All he needed to finish was his coffee.

It took him a while to reach halfway through the mug, probably because this one was a bit too strong for his liking. He always had standards with his type of coffee.

Now, he just waited in silence while he finished his drink. He didn't try to have any contemplation or deep thoughts, he was actually staring blankly into the counter. All the while yawning from time to time.

"All right!" He heard some manly voice begin. "Ais, let's tell them about that thing."

Six just heard the entire pub go hell to silent. Even he too, went quiet. He guessed almost everyone near the large table of the Loki Familia also heard what the werewolf boy had to say. The Courier also couldn't help but turn in such direction too, with a mug on hand. As he guessed, not only was half the bar quiet, but also looking in their direction too. As if anticipating something, and same goes with the lone white-haired kid.

"What.. thing?" The blonde asked.

"You know, where we let a bunch of Minotaurs escape on our way back!" The silver-haired half-beast grinned ear-to-ear. "You took out the last one on the 5th floor, right? Then the tomato dork that was there, remember?"

Tomato dork? Minotaurs? Killed the last one on the 5th… hm, he could guess where this would go.

Then if not for his enhanced _Perception_ , a gasp suddenly stood out in his ears. He heard the source towards the white-haired kid, who looked towards the large table with wide eyes. He seemed to frown deeply when the werewolf said those particularly.

' _Hm.. maybe._ '

Then he heard the werewolf continue. "Some loser who'd obviously just started his adventurer career, got cornered by one of our guys that ran from us."

The white-haired kid didn't take this thing lightly, who just looked down on his lap, and the Courier was sure he was shaking in his boots. He was being dissed and made fun of indirectly, with him witnessing the storytelling, what'd you expect? Laugh that shit off and move on your business? Not unless you're some hothead or a baby, to which Six thought he was in the latter.

"When Ais killed that Minotaur, the smelly-ass blood was sprayed all over him. I swear to God he looked like a tomato!" The werewolf leaned onto the two Amazonian sisters, who nervously laughed.. at Six's perspective. The others weren't entertained for a bit, especially the blonde and the white-haired kid. "And guess what! This tomato loser ran off screaming! Our Sword Princess saved him and all he did was run away from her!" And at this rate, Six saw the werewolf wheezing his ass off. "How pathetic is that?!"

Six couldn't blame the kid, if he was just a newbie, he really did his best to save his own ass. Which he admired about, it's not about the most kills or the name being mocked, it's who breathes last. Speaking of which, he just saw the kid, crumpling in his own chair. With the entire Pub and even his waitress unaware of his current predicament. Other than Six.

"I think in that situation, he can hardly be blamed." Six heard the blonde speak up, defending a newbie adventurer. Huh, good.

"Enough Bete." He then heard the green-haired high-elf speak. Her voice, being as young and smooth as what Aina had told him about. "It was our fault for letting the Minotaurs on the 17th floor escape. You should be ashamed."

Damn, Aina was right on the money. Her friend really does play serious and motherly.

"Huh?! What's wrong with trash being trashy?" The werewolf suddenly barked (pun intended) towards Riveria.

' _Hm, the kid. He's just suffering._ ' Six thought, as he glanced back to the white-haired boy once more. Seeing him grunt and tighten his hands.

The werewolf brought her gaze to the Sword Princess. "What about you, Ais? What if! If me and tomato kid tried to ask you out, who would you pick?"

"Bete, you're drunk aren't you?" The blonde midget pointed out with a nervous smile.

"I'm talkin' to you, Ais!" He practically yelled at the girl, who seemed to straighten up with a scowl on her face. "If that dork asked you out, would you say yes? No way!"

It's just going on over and over again. With werewolf boy getting more agitated about this white haired kid while he himself is slowly collapsing mentally. And to the kid, it was just gradually getting worse. His hair shadowing his eyes, completely being hidden from sight. But he could tell there was a frown painted on his face.

"A loser who's weaker than you has no right to stand beside you. Ais Wallenstein would _never_ allow that!" He was yelling at this rate, with the high-elf beside the blonde shaking her head and the Pub watching in on this. "Some loser isn't meant for you, not for Ais Wallenstein!"

Then Six heard the white kid book it. Leaping off his chair and running out the door, and he was sure he heard him sobbing. The waitress beside him ran after him, but the kid was faster. "Bell-san!"

The blonde took off from her seat too, but was behind on the chase, running out the door to find the kid. Six mentally had enough, he was sure the blonde was concerned and that she knew that kid was the one being burnt to a crisp.

"NO! Why is this happening to meee?!" The werewolf slurred, struggling in between the ropes he was tied into. The entire Pub now getting entertained by this guy, who burnt most of the newbie adventurers to a crisp with his rant.

"You're drunk. Take a break." Riveria told him, with a stern expression planted on her face.

The Courier already finished his coffee, and it was enough for the night. " _All right, I'm done here._ " Six stood from his stool, he thought of doing a good deed, maybe helping that kid in the later turn would lighten and make the kid relax. Besides, it might make for _good karma_ —

Oh wait, he tried to not be a _good karma_ guy. He was wanting more to step off the main line and watch the roads go. Or just stay neutral.

But then again, his gut always force him to help the needy. And so he decided.

" _Hey, Mia was it?_ " He called out to the large lady, who turned her attention to Six as he strapped on his Riot Helmet. His voice somehow turning from normal to modulated. " _How much for my meal and that kid's bill?_ "

"Oi, I don't recommend doing that—"

" _Yeah well, I'm just doing it._ " Six rudely interrupted, as he received a mean glare from Mama Mia. Six wasn't shaken, but he was slightly pissed that she was being a bit stubborn.

"You got guts kid, I'll give you that." Mia shook her head with a frown. "Yours is 455 Valis and the white-haired rabbit has 1350 Valis."

Six instantly dropped a bag of jingling coins on the counter. " _Exact amount. Unless you want me to add some additional fees?_ "

"Hmm.. sure. Whatever—"

Another small pouch of coins was dropped beside the larger bag. " _Extra 300 Valis._ "

"Alright kid, go on." Mia then left off to tending to the bar. Six nodded and strapped back his sniper. Watching the entire table laugh off the werewolf in ropes, who was still whining about.

As the Courier walked out, he felt again that some eyes were upon him. He really wanted to pay no mind, but they were being quiet this time. He'll cut them some slack. Six was about to reach the saloon door, until the leaf-haired elf stopped him.

"I find your act noble, but please, do not do that here." She said. While Six thought that she would greet him goodbye or eat here again. He would certainly eat here again, if it was more quiet and controlled.

But Six was curious as to why she warned him. " _What for?_ "

"You never know who to trust, Courier-san." She simply said.

' _Okay, "Courier-san"? That's formal at its annoying best._ ' Six thought. ' _Plus, why did she think of calling me "Courier"?_ '

" _I'll take note. Thank you._ "

The leaf-haired elf nodded, before walking away—

" _Mind sharing me a name?_ "

The elf turned to him, her face still being stoic and calm. "It's Lion." She said before turning back to her destination.

Six walked out the door, with the blonde still looking the other way. Maybe contemplating about the boy. " _Excuse me, sweetie._ " He said, swerving off her way as he made his way back to Daedalus street.

Via rooftops.

And so he dashed into the nearest alleyway and used the tight-spaced walls to jump between them. Reaching the rooftop in no time. Being certain that no one was watching him, he pulled up his Pip-Boy and went to the ' _Data_ ' section. Going to the _Map_ , he checked to where he was currently at and where Maria's Orphanage was at. In no time, his destination was toward the northeast. Pulling it down and following his _Map Marker_ , he continued onto the rooftops.

' _Wait._ '

Before he could've even step foot onto another roof, his senses told him something. Something.. no, _someone_ is watching him. That nagging feeling at the back of his head, along with his natural instinct as a Wastelander.

' _Always check your six._ '

So he turned around, determining the source of a pair of eyes. He could only see a bunch of smaller buildings, none of which have anything that can make someone hide and at the same time stalk him. The taller structures were far ahead, and he doubts a pair of binoculars or even a telescope could even get a clear sight of him. The other structure was the tall tower that stood ahead of him. The one that's overlooking the city. Maybe. He brought his eyes there and wandered. Trying to find a good sight on where he could be watched upon. He went on higher and higher, probably even to the highest—

' _There!_ '

While invisible to some eyes, he saw it. In what could be the highest viewable spot in that tower. A large window.

And also the source of where the pair of eyes were at.

And Six did not like it. Not one itty-bit.

' _I don't like being watched._ '

So Six did what any reasonable Wastelander would do.

He drew and aimed his Gobi Scout Sniper towards the window, and within a second of lining up the shot—

 ** _BANG!_**

A pull of a trigger made the bullet fly. The distance was formidable for the bullet, as Six was standing atop a two-story building. And he was shooting at what could be the 50th floor of that tower. While it could be below 2000 meters, the air resistance it had to travel through and especially taking in the pull of gravity—

 _CRASH!_

And then he saw the window shatter within his vision.

' _Probabl_ _y my perks doing it's own thing._ ' Six shrugs as he shoulders his sniper and begins to jump onto another rooftop.

* * *

"Bell-kun!" Hestia yelled into the abandoned street. Her voice echoing a bit until it faded away.

It was midnight already, and Bell hasn't returned home yet. When she yelled at Bell because he indirectly hurt her feelings and went to a random area to cry and whine, she expected him to be home by the time her senses and rationality worked again.

Then came an hour, she went home, nobody was there. She shrugged it off, he must be lost or is eating late. Though the idea of him drinking alcohol or of the likes, if it is true (which is very improbable), she'd kill him. Then another hour came, okay, she's getting worried. Though Hestia still gave Bell a benefit of a doubt and waited. Then midnight struck, okay, she should try and find him. She mentally cursed at Bell if he got into some pyramid scheme or something, like the naive little rabbit he is, it could happen.

So here she was, somewhere in an empty section of Daedalus street. Trying to find if Bell had lost his way here and she might hopefully run into him. This area is close to her home, and Bell can lose his sense of direction at times. Hestia kept on walking, looking down in corners or houses that he could be in.

"Seriously, he should've left a note or something before he left! Inconsiderate Bell. I'll have to scold you on that." She muttered to herself. "One last check around these corners, and if he isn't there, I'll just have to wait and hope for the best."

Little did the petite Goddess know she had a group tailing her.

When Hestia checked the next alley, she didn't expect a large hand cover her mouth and pull her into the darkness. She tried to scream but the sounds only came out muffled. Something caught her, and while she tried to break free, it wasn't enough to pry off a pair of muscular arms that were meant to hold her down. She felt herself being lifted up, and Hestia even tried to flail her legs around just so she can have a small chance. Too bad whoever this guy is, he's got some _Strength_ and _Dexterity_ to spare.

Then in the next moment, a short burst of pain coursed through Hestia as she was planted onto a wall. She gagged out a cough, and tried to peek an eye at her attacker. And she did. It was fortunately bright enough to see who it was. A tall and lanky Boaz, yet with his appearance, he can hold Hestia down. He had a malicious grin over his face, his eyes yelled 'Greed'.

"Yo guys! I got a big catch!" He yelled into the alley and possibly the sky. Hestia tried to squirm further, but it was no use.

She heard a set of footsteps landing on the surface concrete, possibly more than two persons. And right she was, four people stood out of the dark. There was another Boaz, though this time big and strong looking. Three humans, different proportions. Different hair and all that. The Boaz with the others had a broadsword. The others, one human had a dagger. One had a halberd, the other a small war axe.

And they all had the same expression as the one holding down Hestia: Greed.

The other Boaz sighed and facepalmed. "Dude, she looks like she has no wallet on her person."

"Well, we can always sell her to the business!" The one holding Hestia down suggested. Though the others groaned and disagreed, which was not what she expected.

"We don't do that shit here, Boyle!"

"Fine. How about we _use_ her then?"

The thought made Hestia build-up bile in her throat. But again, their statements surprised the Goddess.

"Eugh! We're not _that_ evil! We're sticking our virginity to ourselves!" One of the humans said.

What.

"Yeah, that's why we called ourselves the Quasi Virgins!" The human with the dagger yelled. Which then the entire group—besides Hestia—groan in disappointment.

"Come on, Adam.. we don't use that name here!"

"Yeah, we serve under Thanatos! We should have a better name than that crap!"

"Okay, knock it off guys. Let's just inspect the woman and if she doesn't have anything, we'll just dump her corpse with Barca. See if she can make use with this."

That statement made Hestia widen her eyes. She had to get out of this situation, and now.

And then she saw it.

"Alright then, say miss—GWOAH!"

A dark figure dropped from the roof, and landed on the big Boaz. The impact made everyone jump on their toes and watched as a guy tackled the big Boaz and stuck a knife on his neck. He tried to say something, but was cut off when the mysterious attacker removed the blade with haste. Blood spurted to the side of the surface, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

Then the one holding down Hestia began. "You.. you.. YOU MOTHERFU—HRMPGH!"

He didn't get to finish as a blade met the bottom of his head. While the lanky Boaz didn't have a giant head, it was still tall. And when the knife stuck into his head, the other side of the dagger came out on top. The attacker removed it quickly, and brought his attention to the Goddess.

Hestia shivered when she saw the knife and the Boaz's head meet, shielding her eyes from the gruesome sight. Then when the silence reigned, she opened it to see a pair of red visors meet her gaze.

And that lasted a second before her savior was pushed by the man with the halberd. And from there, chaos ensued. And Hestia used that chaos to immediately run out of that situation.

What felt like hours of running, became minutes when she stopped and took a breather. She looked back, while she would thank her savior, the situation had the mysterious stranger not interfered..

Hestia only clenched her fists and her face met the ground. She had to get a move on. Never tell Bell about this.

Also, she had to thank her savior for coming in the last second before things got messy.

In fact, she wondered what happened to him after she ran off.

* * *

" _Son of a bitch!_ " Six cursed. After noticing the big-tittied teenager escape while getting pinned by a guy equipped with a halberd, he immediately brought back his attention to the fight. Wasting seconds in such a fight was dangerous, every moment mattered. Small or not, advantage or disadvantage, it can play out the probabilities and likelyhood of one's survival.

Six noticed how the man's strength was on par with his. It surprised him a little, given that he has 10 on his _Strength_ , possibly more if the 10 limit is taken off. Was this the change in this world's people? Probably. Despite that, he adapted and changed his plan of attack. Six whipped his head forward, sending a skull-crunching headbutt to the man. It worked as he thought, the strength made his attacker dazed. Stumbling back, trying to soothe the pain by easing the muscles of his head.

Alas, that didn't work in his favor. And so Six slammed his Blood's Nap onto the man's chest. Near his heart he positioned it. The man cried out in pain, trying to fight back by prying off the blade. Six then noticed the other guy he kicked into the pile of boxes was starting to gain his instincts. ' _Fuck, can't be having two strong guys hacking at my armor._ '

So Six pulled out his bowie knife, eliciting another yell of pain from the halberd equipped man. Immediately tossed his knife to his left hand, and threw his knife in a flicking motion. The bowie knife flew and met it's target. The man's shoulder. Six saw it, not quite satisfied as he aimed for his head. But it'll make do. He brought his attention back to the man in front of him, just in time to block a swing of a fist from his attacker. Then his opponent swung in the exact same way he did earlier. Again blocked by Six's arm. When he tried to do it again, Six not only caught his arm but threw his fist onto the man's arm joint.

 ** _CRUNCH!_**

"GAGH—!" Six silenced the man's pained scream by covering his mouth with his left hand and followed up with his right fist meeting the guy's neck. Knocking both the air and his consciousness out from him. Six quickly grabbed the unconscious head and twisted it in a not-so-normal manner, as a sound of bones crunching was heard once again.

Six dropped the man's head, catching his breath. His mind shook off the euphoria of having to fight people once again. But when he did clear his head, he didn't notice a pair of arms plummet down on his back. He grunted in a bit of pain, before realizing the attacker pulled his coat and shoved him onto the wall. Six saw his opponent, the guy who had a knife on his shoulder. The man threw his fist to his helmet but was too slow that he got caught by Six. The Courier got out of his position and twisted his arm around. Bone crunching slightly. His attacker whined in pain but was cut off as Six tripped him onto the ground.

The Courier pulled out three throwing knives immediately. His enemy saw this and slightly gasped in fear. Before he could've had the chance to defend himself, he saw the red-eyed visor glow in an orange hue. With the next second being a knife stuck on his arm, another second with a knife stabbed onto his right shoulder this time, and the last thing the man saw was a blade coming for his eyes in a blink of an eye.

Six watched the man's head fall limply. Some fatigue gripping onto him, but with his abilities, that feeling never came. He turned around, trying to find if anything were to interfere or if anyone would have watched. No life signs on his UI. And with that, he pulled out his Blood's Nap from the dead man's shoulder and climbed onto a rooftop once again.

' _Fuck sake. Those guys aren't any different from Raiders._ ' Six thought. ' _Well, aside from the religious and ritual-like bullshit they kept on yapping about._ '

While they sounded harmless, the plans right after they're done with the small teenager.. ' _She's just a fucking kid. Mugging a fucking kid?_ '

That's what he thought until a month and a half later.

But before anything from that, Six brought his attention on where he should be going. He should also make sure no one was following him. He did feel something or someone was tailing him before he fell on those thugs.

* * *

 _Chkk. Chkk._ The sound of tape rolling around his hand was the only thing that could be heard in the room. He wrapped another layer of tape onto his left, before diagonally wrapping it across his fingers. Continuing the supposed pattern to wear the boxing tape.

His usual long-sleeved shirt was rolled up, as if it resembled a tank top. He was going to throw some punches and practice his moves. Good thing he created that punching bag in the last second, and with it, he had to scrounge up a bunch of random materials for it. Ah well, it didn't matter to him now did it?

It seemed this world had more than what's in store for him. While he surely tries to find a way home, it seems that'll be heavily delayed. He'll be in for the time of his life in the coming days and months. Orario would need a heavy change, and a Wildcard from the Wastes would surely do.

Crime. Sinister plans. Evil people. That included people who were in the higher class, and yes.. those Gods and Goddesses won't hide from him that long. He doesn't plan of ridding Orario this hidden evil, but maybe.. along the way they could provide answers for his dire questions.

Then Six's anger boiled. As he just finished wrapping the last layer needed for his left hand. Guess he was ready enough.

He threw a trio of punches upon the bag. Swinging back from the hits. It felt hard, enough to handle his _Strength_ and _Unarmed_. He threw another two hits, followed up with a hook to it's side. The bag moving to it's right, swinging back and forth as Six kept up his posture. He brought forward his fists again, two hits registering. Then got back to blocking, before sending another two sets of straight punches upon the bag.

* * *

"Fels, tell me.. you feel it too?" Ouranos stated to the slim robed man.

They both sensed it, the power.. it was radiating. He would know older Gods like him would feel it too. This wasn't some force or a group, it was an individual. And it was closer than they knew.

"Yes.. it feels.. out of this world." Fels murmured. Enough to let Ouranos hear of it.

"We must track it and keep an eye on it. This would likely change and tip the scale of Orario." The ancient God said.

"Heh. I know where to start."

A glimpse of that Riot Geared man might lead to a clue.

* * *

Another flurry of his fists. Grunting as he did so. He kept hitting with his right, then returned with a block.

The sounds of the bag getting hit by the punches. It was all that could be heard along with the Courier grunting.

* * *

"That man.." Ais muttered to herself. Her gaze outside of her window, and focused onto the night sky.

She was looking back on that suspicious adventurer. The one that called her 'sweetie'. She felt a familiar sense from when it was years ago. Ancient if considered, one that she felt during her younger years. It was no mistake, that aura.. it was similar to family. No, not the family she has right now, the family she back when.

She tailed him a bit, watching him shoot his weapon towards the direction of Babel Tower, see him descend upon a group of adventurers who were beating a lowlife teenage girl. Ais ditched before she could even witness who won in the end. But an idea popped in her head.

Now, flashes of his father. Along with that feeling. It made her predict she'll see more of him sooner than she would expect.

"Sweet Ais! Where are ye..?!"

"Get back to bed, Loki."

"Eh, come on mama…!"

Ais sighed weakly. She had to rest.

* * *

Six grunted again, throwing a hard hook and ended with an uppercut. Then started to throw rapid-fire punches, the bag reeling back from the hits it was getting.

He grunted, the momentum getting faster.

* * *

Freya smiled towards the window. Broken, sure.. but that rumored combat armored man has more to show than what everyone thought. When her eyes set upon his soul, it wasn't a color. It wasn't a symbol, all she could see in his soul was a desert in hell. The orange and powerful aura it emanated, one that was dreadful and war torn. Corrupted by a mess of shit he had encountered in the back when. One that she found a liking to.

Even when he noticed her watching him.. her nether regions only got hotter. She was so tempted to do it here and there, even if Ottar was just behind her.

She has no thoughts of involving him in her Familia, but something wanted to make her see more of him in action.

"Ottar.." Freya called, footsteps thudding beside her.

"Yes, my lady?" She heard a warm and masculine voice ask.

"Start a file on this man. While you do, keep an eye on what he does outside of the scenes."

"As you wish."

Freya's smile grew further.

* * *

Loki was pushed into her room, the effects of the drinks still lingering. She wandered around in her room, before having to look back on that interesting party in the pub. She got to see everyone still be okay at least, some dumb choices were made that night. Yes, that Werewolf issue was still stuck in her mind.

And then there's that combat armored adventurer.

And out of all the things in her mind, the most vivid was her conversation with him.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized. She could sense something in him, something that he's trying to deny. And while he was pushing her away, on the inside, he begged for something. Something from Loki.

Then those words, how he tries to isolate himself from others. Quick to downplay himself. She can also attest his dreadful and depressing aura that was coming out of him.

Loki is what, beyond a millennium of years old? She's heard every kind of story she could hear. Seen every kind of person she could meet. Spoke to every kind of person she would be with. But while she has experience of handling people, it's different from encountering it once again. And when she encountered someone like that combat armored guy, she couldn't help but feel pity for this kid (assuming from his young and clean face). Something in her mind was eating her away, telling her to do something for that man.

But like the Goddess she is, she resisted that temptation.

Though, it didn't stop her from having this gut feeling that, that man would play a major role in her following days.

* * *

Another rapid barrage of straights. Before grappling the bag and delivered a plentiful amount of uppercuts. Then ended the combo with a cross.

He backed up, posture ready. Fists up, and jogging around. He twisted his neck as he lunged for the punching bag once more.

* * *

Ryuu continued mopping up the floors of the pub. She and Syr were the last ones down there as Mama Mia had to step outside and take care of some issues with the Guild. The others were closing up shop early and in their rooms. Some left to their homes, the chefs..

Her mind wandered back to the recent craze for today. Every day in the pub has their own unique and meaningful moments. One such was the guy who bumped into Syr and got involved with the debacle with the Loki Familia, whom ruined the later moment of the boy. Then her mind lingered on that Courier.

Wait, why did she think of calling him _Courier_? In fact, why did he bother about warning him?

Her face didn't show it as she was serving him hours ago. But she was very curious about the man. The way he looked, acted, wore.. he was sticking out like a sore thumb. As if he wasn't meant for this place, as if he weren't from this world..

And something told her that she was going to see more of him soon.

Then again, isn't that like every other adventurer in the city?

"Ryuu! Are you done with the floor?" Syr suddenly broke her out of her trance.

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking. What do you need?"

She'll have to wait until bed time to think clearly.

* * *

Hermes sat in his office. The unique-looking chessboard he had was atop his desk. Filled with pieces that had different appearances, filling in major roles for Orario. But he wasn't thinking about moves that the other pieces would make, he was solely focused on that Ebony rook.

'Courier Six.' He referred to the letter that the old man gave him. While the matter of that ghost was important, he put that aside for now and racked his brain for possible moves. Moves meant for the ebony rook.

The letter said his sole purpose was trying to find a new source or an old source of Displacement magic. Magic that was dead long ago. No one, not even the Gods and Goddesses, could find a way to harness and master the magic of Displacement. There wasn't a single person that could control that magic, teleportation was dangerous. From the people who tried to manipulate it, the following second after using such magic, they became a pile of ash. Thus, the idea of moving around with a snap of one's fingers was abandoned.

And here is Courier Six. A newcomer that said he was able to use Displacement magic to get from one side of the world. Of course, the old man voiced his opinion. Personally saying it was bullcrap. Hermes also thought it was bullcrap, though his mind nagged. Telling him the idea was plausible. Plausible in a different way.

He saw the advancement in Six's technology. Lightyears away from what Orario and this generation had from now. Perhaps using that advancement, they manipulated Displacement on their own and successfully made it happen. The first use of Displacement magic.. until everything went wrong with Six appearing in this part of the world.

So Six had the knowledge on how to use it, question is: How can he replicate such thing? He needs help. Help with strong and smart people. So he thought of his first move, to find a Familia with the capabilities to help him. He racked his brain for plausible ideas. No, the Guild has their smarts but they don't have someone strong to fight with. No, Hephaestus and Goibniu barely have smarts with sorcery and magic. Probable with Freya, though he doubts the Courier would love her selfishness.

And so he decided. He plopped the ebony rook beside the golden king of the red queen's side.

* * *

He threw a large punch. Then he backed up. His fists raised up.

He threw a left hook and followed up with his right. He backed up again.

Then he threw a punch before he struck the bag with his wrist.

But he didn't notice his hands starting to look purple.

* * *

"Get over here you little bitch!" The one with the raccoon ears yelled as his other buddies chased after the Prum.

"Gotcha!" One of them said as he yanked back the collar of the Prum's shirt. They took that opportunity to knee her back, making her scream in pain and fall on her back. Then all three of them threw their foot on the small girl's body. She tried to protect herself from the blows, but none of it mattered as she couldn't withstand the power of their kicks.

After a minute or so of beating up the Prum, they finally stopped and caught their breath. The large one with the raccoon ears crouched down and grabbed her by the collar. She was easily lifted up from her position and was face-to-face with her attacker.

"Hehe, this dumbass Prum thinks she can get away from us!" One of them exclaimed.

"Lil' missy here forgot about her debt!"

"So, what do you have to share for today?" He asked before checking out her body to see if there was anything of use.

Then his eyes set on an object hanging from her waist.

"Oh wait, what's this here?" He stated as he began to pull on the object.

"No no! Don't you touch that!" She finally cried out, trying to swat away his hand from the

"Ahaha!" He finally grabbed the object from her waist. Revealing itself to be a key.

"Anyone, HELP!" She screamed.

* * *

His anger was reaching it's peak, as a trio of straights were sent towards the bag.

But he sent his fists forward again, rapidly hitting the bag. He went past the three hits.

He kept repeating the straights. His momentum at it's highest and his anger at it's peak.

' _Remember the assholes._ ' He told himself as flashes of today's events came before him. The pub. The alleys. The people. While he didn't care for crime, they were still chasing a kid. And the thought of it.. it only made him go worse.

He grit his teeth, feeling like he could break it. His fists clenched further as the punches never stopped. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his knuckles were bleeding and he kept grunting.

Then the last punch tore open a small hole on the punching bag.

* * *

And there he stood. On the church balcony. The ranger overcoat flowing in the night's wind. The green and brown armor showing out, presentable to the world. He was perched on the railing. Overlooking Daedalus Street. His red visor scanning the horizon for any threats, while his senses heard everything. The various yells and voices of different people, loud sounds being created by whatever object was there.

Judging from earlier, he felt like dispatching a group of criminals. Maybe putting them in jail with the help of the Guild. After all, he never was a fan of slavery.

He waited for something precise and specific. Something that would call his attention.

" _Just this once._ " Six breathed to himself. " _Just this once, of doing good karma bullshit._ "

Then he heard it. A small group beating up on something small and feminine. He twisted his head to the source, which was coming from the west. He began to stand, while the sounds of the situation were becoming more clear.

"Hehe, this dumbass Prum thinks she can get away from us!"

"Lil' missy here forgot about her debt!"

"Oh wait, what's this here?"

"No no! Don't you touch that!"

"AHAHA!"

"Anyone, HELP!"

And that was the breaking point that made him leap off the building and to the site.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Chapter 4 dudes. I hoped you like the shit I put in, those speech checks look pretty fun to add, even with the FO3 styled ones. I might do more. I apologize if this wasn't up to your expectations, and how OOC Six was a bit at the end.  
**

 **Also, the last section of this chapter was inspired by a scene from a Netflix show. If you got where it was, good for you.**

 **Edit (just before this chapter was uploaded): Damn, I feel this was a bit disappointing. I'm not so confident about my quality here. Just tell if I need to improve on any parts. I have to keep on reading the LN and rewatch some of the anime.**

 **See ya on the next chapter bros.**


	5. Mean New World, Part 1

**Author's Notes: UPDATE FINALLY-  
**

 **I apologize if the wait was too long. The quality of this chapter felt downgraded to me, and I wanted to really take my time to see if this was worth to read. Plus, E3 came and it killed my mood to play or try any Fallout game I have in my library. All because Bethesda's conference and FO76's new update made me disappointed like hell.  
**

 **Then New Vegas, I tried playing it. But launching it took like forever, the loading screens are too much. All because of my 100+ mods and adequate computer. And I know every single dialogue so at this point, I just skip through most of them.**

 **I have more meaningless author's notes at the bottom, you can skip 'em if you want.  
**

 **If you want to get a better view on what Six sounds like with his helmet on, just think of Deadshot's voice from Injustice 2. It's where I initially thought of his voice.**

 **Also, this chapter was pretty long. So I had to split it into two parts. The next one should arrive soon.  
**

 **...**

 **Reply to CrappyIdiots: Hopefully when the reveal is there, it won't be much of a disappointment.**

 **Reply to Guest(2): Ah. There will be some dakka in the chapter after the next. Fret not.**

 **Reply to A fan: Wow. That's a bold review there buddy. Thanks. That helped me a bit with writing this chapter.**

 **Reply to Apple424: There will be more speech checks. Others scenarios involving his skill set.**

 **Reply to Guest(1): The level system of Danmachi is going to be more meaningless by the time Six joins a Familia.**

 **Reply to MarcusAurelias: Thanks. I'll try and find these errors you see.**

 **Reply to gerome945:** ** _Ouranos is now sick with Crit. Rad Poison_** **, then you see his body limp and die due to Rad. poison.**

 **Reply to Imperial Warlord, The salty knight & Theoddpep: Thank you for the kind words. I'm mainly focusing on finishing the first arc of this story.**

 **Reply to Havel the Hebel: I didn't do my research on this, haha. I mostly focused on the fair price Six can get from a gold bar. And yes, I feel like Orario's market is crashing and Valis is down in the red.**

 **Reply to UndeadLord22: Maybe. Maybe not. You'll see what else he did in this chapter.**

 **Reply to Xenophos24: You mean Ryuu Lion's Familia? Ah, well, he could be. I already wrote a bit when Six does some stupid shenanigans with Ryuu. Eina and Six? There will be complications arising.**

 **...**

 **Done and done. Chapter is right below.**

* * *

 **5 – Mean _New_ World, Part 1**

The metal door slammed open, the morning sun rising out of it. The time was just past four in the morning. It was relatively early.

Then again, time didn't matter for this wastelander.

Six walked into his room, and shut the door behind him. He reviewed his new room, there was a punching bag in the corner. The sledgehammer was still on the wall, the crates filled with pieces to assemble the workbench were placed aside. Then he can see his ruined Power Armor frame down in the other corner. Which reminded him..

' _Shit. I should check up on the satellite later._ '

But first things first; clean up.

Six took off his helmet and plopped it down on a table. He saw the mirror on the kitchen sink, his face had some cuts and minor injuries. It wasn't serious, but he can't say the same for his helmet.

Scratches and dents all over.

But hey, it is tough.

He immediately took off his gloves and tucked them into his overcoat. He saw his hands.. bleeding and bruised. Huh, he had gloves but it couldn't help lessen the punishing his knuckles could take. Maybe it's how tough those guys were when he fought them. Took more than his fists to put them down.

Going back, Six opened the faucet and began to wash and clean his hands.

* * *

"Where do you think you're going, Arde?" One of them stated as said Prum began to run away. The thug with the afro began to chase after her, both heading deeper into the alley.

The afro thug began to draw his war axe with a right hand and while the small Prum was trying to run as fast as she could, the guy was still gaining on her. The former was practically next to her and began to swing for her back.

"Please. HELP!"

The magic stone lamps suddenly died. A shattering of glass came upon the alley. The thug stopped midway while the Prum stumbled on her feet and fell on the ground.

"Oi, who's there?!"

That was answered when a pair of boots met the cobble floor and a figure began to unleash on the thug, and within a second, the afro guy fell on the floor with a pained yell as the other two guys—one fatty with raccoon ears and the other with a crazy bedhead—rushed upon the scene.

For the Prum it was hard to see. While she may have the blessing of Soma (one that she wished she didn't get), the pitch-black darkness was overpowering her improved vision. What she could only make out was a large figure in front of her while the two other assholes came into the scene late.

"Ah, want some too, you piece of trash?" The one with raccoon ears said as the Prum heard the sound of weapons being drawn. One of which was a magic sword that began to light up the scene.

The alley lit up with red, the face of the raccoon man and the bedhead guy visible. An intent to kill in their eyes. Then the Prum saw it, a tall man with a long trench coat. His left arm outstretched towards the two, meaning to stop them. While his right hand hidden behind his back, held the afro's war axe.

" _She's just a kid._ " A distorted voice came out from the man in front of her.

Then the fight continued.

* * *

Six looked at his hands one last time. Before washing it once more and afterwards rubbing out his eyes. He didn't know if he was exhausted, tired, or awake through the whole ordeal. Even now, he can't even give an answer to himself. He looked at himself through the mirror. Instead of still wearing his armor, he had changed into a grey shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and casual jeans. His gear, he placed it all on his table to be looked at. He could feel his trousers at the brink of tearing up, even if it was armored.

He closed his faucet, and turned from the sink and to the table he placed his armor. He made his way in front of the table, and inspected his armor before him. He took a seat and looked closer at his combat apparel, and boy did it look so bad.

It was in peak condition even before he left Orario, and when he did reach the city, he repaired it again with spare junk in his inventory. He could even remember it was in top condition right before he did what he did last night. Or hours ago if he's being technical.

' _I mean I guess multiple fights would make some damage for this piece, but.. this is below 13%._ ' He thought, making him grumble.

Was it because those guys he fought were tougher than a Yao Guai? Wait no, they didn't stand a chance against a bullet or two from Lucky. But he could remember, they hit really hard. Well, not hard enough to get himself a crippled leg or body. Then again, they were easy to maneuver around and let themselves be open. Leaving plenty of opportunities to take them down.

This was somewhat worrying, well.. probably worrisome if he got cut or stabbed it would have made him bled. That would have been him in a different world, but here.. while he tanked hits from other weapons, it's not to say that he didn't lose breath from it. Still, he could get along fine with getting hurt a lot, but he can't say the same for his armor.

Six's eyes widened. His train of thought suddenly stopping when a certain memory was brought up. One that gave him worry when he remembered it almost immediately.

He darted his hand into his overcoat, more specifically his pockets. The one special object he received, he was worried that it could have been damaged by the fighting he'd done a while ago. After all, he was still worried that that item might be either a one-time use or not. So he was being sure and certain.

When his hand found the right thing, he immediately pulled it out. The small square plate coated in black. Subtle hieroglyphs and symbols can be seen etched onto the plate. As Aina pointed out, the button was just on the side. His finger positioned there, almost tempted to press it down.

Though, he's trying to think rationally. After all, Aina might be awake or still asleep. He thought of the latter as the most likely.

He really would want to discuss what he experienced here so far. Though, he doesn't know if he shouldn't mention the part where he kicked asses for one night just because he felt like it. But, he had the urge to be honest with her. And if he fights against that urge...

Six shook his head. This could wait for tonight. He hasn't seen Aina for five days, so he should really calm down.

Then again, he couldn't. Not with the stunt she pulled on him, how she changed him from the inside.

Maybe that's why he was soft with Rye. Or generous with the kid's dinner. Because of one high-elf that made him change.

Six sighed. He stopped thinking about a certain nun and went back to the matter at hand. His armor.

' _I should fix it. After that, maybe grab a morning snack somewhere…_ ' Six thought. ' _Time to repair this shit—wait._ '

Then he remembered.

" _Ah crap,_ " He began as he sighed. Standing from the couch while he grabbed and wore his helmet, fastened his LAPD Riot Armor and hid his overcoat within his ' _Inventory_ '. " _I forgot to check in with the Guild._ "

Within a mere second, he walked out of the metal door and closed it shut.

* * *

The raccoon man didn't even have time to attack when the figure before him threw a war-axe that connected deep within his shoulder. "GAGH!"

He fell on his ass, while the bedhead swung his shortsword onto his opponent, only to miss as the red-eyed man sidestepped the attack. The bedhead slashed horizontally and again missed when his opponent reeled back.

The thug didn't expect for a fist to collide with his face. While it wasn't strong to send him staggering, he hits hard. And he couldn't even defend himself when his opponent performed a kickflip and disarmed him. His shortsword flying away from him as metal clattered to the ground.

He staggered from the sudden attack and tried to grab for his weapon, when he realized it was too out of reach for him. The bedhead turned his attention back to his enemy and began to charge his fist. He began to swing for his head.

Only to receive a right hook faster than the bedhead could thrust his blade.

"AGH!" The blow connected with his head, the pain registering and confusing him for a bit. He saw a glimpse of his enemy, but he couldn't even retaliate when the red visored man sent a kick to his gut. Making the bedhead hit the wall behind him. Everything was going fast, and his mind was running fast, the thug couldn't think.

And just as he thought it wasn't going to get worse, his opponent shoved him further onto the wall and held him by the collar. He was pushed down and saw a fist flying towards his face. His head whipped against the wall and received another hit. It was just continuous punching, before the man sent a large knee to his gut, and ended with a heavy cross.

"OOF!" The thug groaned in pain after his body fell to the floor. What the thug could remember last was the breathing of a distorted voice.

"Oi, bitch! Where do you think you're going?!" Meanwhile, the raccoon man watched the end of the fight with shocked eyes. And before he knew it, the Prum swiped the key from his pockets and scooped up the rest of her belongings before running away.

That's when the red visors looked away from the Prum and turned to him. And from what he could see right now…

Death only breathed out of him.

The pain couldn't get any worse right? The axe was still lodged on his shoulder. It was heavily bleeding, and there's nothing he could do about it. Only a professional could heal him away.

The man walked towards him, avoiding the bodies on the floor. Then he saw him pull something out of his side, he didn't know what it was, but he could feel a tube pressed to his forehead.

" _Where's your other friends?_ " A distorted voice asked.

"Other friends..? I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He replied nervously.

He should have worded it better, because a foot stomped on the axe.

"AHHH!" Flesh crunching and him screaming in pain.

" _I'll pull that off of you, so as long you point me in the right direction._ "

Was he asking where other people like himself were at? If so, he knew a few, and he could tell him where it is. But if he survives this, it might come at a cost.

" _Not gonna answer?_ " He voiced threateningly.

"W-wa-wait! I-I know where!" He reassured him while sweating furiously. "A building beside Yona's! There's… a bunch of guys in the slave trade or some crap.."

He felt the tube over his head disappear, then it was followed with the axe starting to pull off of him. The pain was about to get worse when the axe was taken off without further complications.

"Ah, ahh, holy shit.. I thought I'd never—"

Those were his last words before he felt a boot collide with his head.

* * *

Six sighed. ' _The fuckin' world doesn't want me to kill them._ '

Currently, the Courier was walking towards the Guild. His mind racing to the events last night. And possibly the outcomes.

He reminisced about how he had an outburst right after he knocked out the raccoon ear guy. God, it was still fresh in his mind. It was like what happened to his companions when they lose their _HP_ and to the other people he tried to kill in the Mojave.

 _Yes Man has been knocked out._

 _Veronica has been knocked out._

 _Joshua Graham has been knocked out._

And then last night..

 _Canoe Belway has been knocked out._

' _Why the fuck is the universe denying my kill? Are they essential or something?_ ' He just shook his head as he said that. ' _You know what, fuck that. I don't need to spend brainpower to contemplate on something so dumb that has ached over me in the years past._ '

Going past what had happened to the three thugs that kickstarted his night, he remembered the other positives that came out of what had happened.

For one, he jingled his pocket. Feeling some change composed of Valis shaking around. He couldn't help but smile a little under his helmet. The thought of what he did, satisfaction just ran through his veins.

While Six was never a 'money man'—even when he was in the Sierra Madre—the thought of having plenty of money like any other man, made him feel comfortable and satisfied. Comfortable for having to spend as much as he wants—though he's still reserved. Then satisfied because he worked hard getting the money.

While people in this world would disagree wholeheartedly, the ones in his world would say it's fine. After all, killing and looting is just another man's day in the Wasteland. And last night was no different.

Yet in the days he was separated from his world and the feeling of violence, he felt like he ached and begged for a fight. Wanting one, needing one. And last night? He was welcomed back.

Six did say he's a neutral/good guy. And he does what's necessary while helping those who need it. But he never said he wasn't a mass murderer.

Mass murderer? _Good karma_?

' _You are shitting me._ ' He said while shaking his head in an amused manner.

* * *

"Gather 'round kiddies. We got a new job on our hands." A bearded Pallum called out to the group while on a stool. And immediately after hearing his words, the other men pulled their seats to the main table of the room.

A basement. It wasn't the most original of spaces, but it is one of the most effective. The layout was simple really, in the corner of the room was the stairs leading up to the main floor. Then the basement itself, it had a large table in the middle. Filled with some papers and mostly pouches and coins. Valis. Tons of them. There were some cards as well, from the little game of Poker they had just a while ago.

Little knew about their tiny group. Easily hired with an okay fee to spend on, but they do the jobs right. Putting aside some little mishaps in the past, they're usually doing fine. Their business ranges all across the schemes. Simple escorting with an okay pay, to a hit contract for a decent reward. They weren't that popular in the Underground world of the Black Market District, but they were popular enough to be a common group to hire amongst the small fry.

The bearded Pallum of the group stretched out the contract in front of them. It was a big one at that. Being written on a long parchment and all that, but the reward plastered at the bottom of the paper. That's what the other 6 people drooled on about.

"Hey hey hey! Check out those zeroes!"

"Who the hell hired us for this?"

"Guys, guys, let's not screw this up. Shall we?"

"Come on, get it together—!"

"Alright shut up, all of you." The Pallum silenced the group. And immediately, everyone turned their attention to him. "There's nothing to really be specific about this job. The contractor only told us to kill these targets specifically. Order by order."

They all nodded in attention. Then the Pallum snapped his fingers. Right after, two other men carrying weapons walked out of the next door.

"First one is this kid named Liliruca Arde. I ran the numbers and said that she has an acquaintance in a shop just two blocks from here. A gnome. Do what you have to. Afterwards, we'll be having a kid from a rundown church a bit of ways from here. In the abandoned area, boy named Bell Cranel. Hestia Familia and just started. If you have to, we can kill the Goddess. I'll tell the others in a bit, but right now. Get ready."

As the Pallum slapped the parchment on the table, the weapons were placed on said table as well. One Dwarf took a halberd while the other grabbed a warhammer. A lanky human swiped a crossbow and loaded it with bolts strapped together in one tape. Two Hume Bunnies grabbed their daggers. Three Chienthropes grabbed the remaining longsword, broadsword and machete on the table. Then all of them grabbed the last of the throwable weapons.

"All right, let's get a move on." The Pallum declared—

 _CRASH!_

The lone magic stone lamp suddenly died. Everyone groaning at this common issue they usually have at their meets.

"Gods fuck. Get the spare lamp, Ricardo?"

"Ye got it."

 ** _BANG!_**

"Heads up!"

"OH SHIT!" _Slash! Clang!_

"Where is it?!"

"I can't see!" _Slash! Thwang!_

"I'm shooting, I'm shooting!" _Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!_

"Left, left!" _Slash! Clang!_

 ** _BANG!_**

"GAGH!"

"There, there!" _Clang! Swing! Thwip!_

 ** _BANG!_**

"What the fu—"

 ** _BANG! BANG!_**

"OW SHI—"

"NO, CRAP—"

 ** _BANG! BANG! BANG!_**

…

Silence.

…

 ** _BANG! BANG! BANG!_**

Then the last sound in the dark was a clatter of a bullet casing.

And after moments of silence once more, a spare magic lamp was lit. It's holder? A bearded Pallum. The light lit up the room, and what he saw.

Dread loomed in.

All of his comrades were on the ground, sprawled. Or on the table. But all of which, blood was painted over them. Small holes drilled to the side of their heads. Blood leaking and pouring all over the floor or the table, making a puddle. Even some bits and pieces of brain were seen, as the small parts of pink were seen throughout the room.

"What the shit…" The Pallum droned. Shocked, terrified, and at disbelief.

" _I know, right?_ "

Before he could've even comprehended what was that, he turned his head to the source only to get his arm locked and twisted. And with a grunt, it was then broken.

"AAGGH!" The Pallum screamed in agony. His vision barely seeing what was going on.

Then he felt his body thrown to the floor. He swore he heard a crack, and he doesn't know if it came from the floor or him. He clutched his arm tight, trying to ease the pain. He didn't mind the footsteps that walked just in front of him. He wanted to die in sorrow, but he can't. He can't force himself.

He didn't hear the sound of paper moving, parchment rolling, and footsteps walking. Until a distorted voice cleared him all out. And it was the only thing he heard.

" _This a nice contract._ " The voice began. Damn, is this what he deserves? What his comrades deserved?

" _Lots of money in it. I'll be damned._ " Then a hand explored his body. Mostly sifting through pockets and pouches and secret spots to place a key in it.

And the hand found it. Within grasp, it pulled out of the pocket. The Pallum was slowly gathering his own senses back, and with the chance, he peeked an eye at his attacker.

Yet the water flowing in his eyes and his strength only gave him a blur.

" _So. Mind telling me who hired you to do that?_ " The voice asked him.

"…w-what?"

Then a foot broke his shin. Followed by a scream of pain shortly after.

"Grghh…" He groaned. The Pallum finally felt awake, and with the energy and adrenaline, he sat up and opened his eyes. Clearly seeing his attacker. A tall man in a trench coat with an intimidating helmet, a pair of red visors staring back at him. At his soul.

" _Talk._ " That's where the distorted voice came out of.

And fear rushed through him. Making the Pallum remember what he had asked.

"U-um… gods! A guy named Lanikos Perdix! Please! STOP!"

Yet, the pain didn't stop.

" _Where is he usually holed up?_ " The voice asked again.

"Gods fucking dammit! AGH! He… He stays at a manor.. near the west main street! FUCK! LET ME GO!"

And he got his wish. Softly, the foot let him go.

 _Click!_

" _You are shitting me._ " The voice stated, slightly angered.

Wait, what? The Pallum checked out what had happened. His eyes saw the figure aim a weapon towards his head. He only froze, not knowing what to do.

" _Huh, okay._ "

That's the last thing he heard when the weapon was slammed onto his face.

* * *

' _Woah. What the hell._ ' Six mused. Looking past the other adventurers who were also watching at the sight before him.

A large line of people, escorted by other people wearing elephant masks and others in Guild uniforms, were walking into the Pantheon. He saw the people being escorted in ropes or chains. Bound and tied, as if they were arrested for something.

And Six was the reason of it all.

As soon as people saw the line ending, they began to follow behind and enter the Pantheon. Continuing their supposed business for today. Six also saw this and followed suit.

Entering the Pantheon, he was greeted with a surprising sight. Plenty of people who were tied up, wearing suits and other articles of clothing, were bunched up in one single area of the hall. There were others who were entering a room of sorts near the crowd, and with the crowd, came noise.

And boy, was it noisy. The damn hall sounded like the Tops casino, crowded and wild on the entertainment. Hell, this would be somewhat of a Tops casino. It has the guy who can exchange money, and the 'charming' Guild staff. Seriously, if it had some sort of Benny, he's going to kill him the second he gets his chance.

But then one person stood out, out of all the people in the crowd, there was a man wearing a white suit. Black leather shoes, and what seemed to be a black undershirt. He had a necklace with a watch attached, more watches on his wrist, and even pocket watches strapped onto gold chains. He looked old, old enough to rival a Dwarf. Especially with the grey hair and beard, he could probably be mistaken for a white Jesus or Zeus.

The man scoffed, before he noticed the Courier. His pupils shrunk a bit, and Six felt emotions run through his eyes. Most notably, fear and anger. He was already feeling scared, then he grit his teeth and gave Six a glare. Before being ushered and shoved by two guys wearing elephant masks into a different room.

The Wastelander shook his head. He knew that grey guy, and that grey guy knew him back. What he did to him hours ago, none of it mattered now. What Six did was just a stress reliever.

The thought made him chuckle weakly, busting corrupt Gods and businesses was a stress reliever? ' _Damn. This might be the Wild Wasteland perk working on me._ '

Going past that, he went to the meshed window. The exchange booth. The person behind the window hasn't noticed his presence, so Six was the first to speak.

" _Morning there._ " The person behind the counter looked towards him, and looked a bit in surprise.

"Ah, it's you! The guy who got that ingot exchanged, haha!" The man behind the window laughed. "Ah, what brings ye here? Ya here for the bottlecaps? Lucky lad, it took a day to finish. But now it's done."

Six heard this and was relieved. Guess he is lucky to not visit yesterday. "Because of that, I got good news."

" _Really? Well, let's hear it._ " Six replied.

"So…" The man began, as Six could hear knuckles cracking behind the counter. "Ye gave me.. I dunno, twenty or fifty caps? Can't remember. But, what I can remember, is that I handed it over to some red-headed smith. Told him to make something with what I had. He thought I must be some sort of idiot, because he said the best he can do with the shit is to use it as some reinforcing shard or some crap. Didn't really care 'bout it that much, I just wanted results."

" _And so..?_ " Six inched on, wanting to hear what had happened.

He only gave his bottlecaps as a half-joke, the other because he has nothing to else trade. And so he risked it by exchanging bottlecaps to see if there's any value in it. And now, it sounds like it does.

"Well buddy, I got some results all right! He used those caps as 'em reinforcement, then he said that the weapon changed drastically! I didn't see what did change, 'cause I don't think I have a smith's eye for that. But! He did test it out, it turned the blade as durable as the Sword Princess' freakin' sword!"

" _Wait, what?_ " Six was both confused and speechless. Sword Princess' sword? The blonde girl's sword being strong?

"Yup, heard me right! We even gave it to his captain, she tried to break the blade open, nothing happened! Then, she also added an additional note. Tellin' that whatever reinforcement shard the guy used, it had some additional effect in it!"

" _Additional.. effect?_ "

"Said that the blade leaked a deadly compound or something. It was poisonous but there wasn't a sign of poison leaking from it, unless you can feel or sense proper!"

' _Radiation._ ' Six said in his mind.

"I told them the circumstance. Said that if you traded this shit in, it might break the economy of Orario. I asked how much they'd wager the caps," The man gestured an explosion with his hands. "Freakin' 14 million Valis!"

Six's eyes widened behind the helmet. Speechless and surprised at the revelation he heard.

" _Wait-wait, how much is one cap worth?_ " Six asked, a bit nervous at the price.

"Ah shit! I think they said it was.. um, at 2 million Valis."

Six felt like his jaw hit the floor. The sudden price overloaded his brain too much. ' _Calm down idiot. Get it together._ '

He breathed heavily, before shaking off the shock factor, he thought deeply. His half-joke just became a massive source of income. He wondered why a bottlecap would cost as that much. Analyzing deeply, he did get some theories.

One, seeing as how bottlecaps survived the Great War—Since they were seen all over the place, drawers, cabinets, safes. Hell, even in the _Courier's Mile, Long 15,_ and _Dry Wells,_ he found bottlecaps at the worst looking craters—they can attest the durable and strong attribute it holds. And because of the effectiveness of it, he was sure any weapon enhanced with bottlecaps will last 25 times longer! Though it may be an exaggeration, it might as well be the most expected outcome.

That's the most plausible theory he could get from the bottlecaps. The radiation effect? It might be from the nukes and the long term effect of radiation affecting the weapon. But how is it that it has radiation? I mean, when Six picks it up, his Pip-Boy didn't show any signs of the clicking sound of the Radmeter.

Maybe it might be small traces of radiation, but a single bottlecap enhancing a weapon and also adding radiation? What if it was a greatsword? How would that work?

Then again, the man behind the counter spared him the details. He didn't know what weapon they used the caps on, or on how many bottlecaps were used in the process. So yeah, it's not safe to assume anything, but it is fact now that the bottlecaps are VERY useful in terms of income and weaponry.

Speaking of which, the amount of money he can get from it..

' _Dangerous. If anyone knew or heard—which I'm pretty sure some might have heard—but if they know I'm lugging around a vault of gold or something to help them in battle.._ '

Six mentally cursed. ' _I gotta keep this quiet._ '

" _Excuse me, sir? Uhm, who else knows about the.. bottlecaps..?_ " Six asked the man nervously.

"The things ya can do with it? Only us, and the two smiths. Don't worry, I kept this quiet as possible. Not even my boss or my God knows what the deal with this is."

" _Ah, I see._ " Six breathed a sigh of relief.

Now with the trading issue. As he now knows he's carrying the money load around, he can't trade all of these caps at once. So for that, he'd rather trade them in one by one. For the remaining 45,000+ bottlecaps?

' _Pff. God knows what I'm about to do with that._ ' He thought, shrugging in his mind.

" _In that case, can I trade in one bottlecap?_ " Six asked behind the counter.

"Ah, we're prepared for that. Here," He says, as the drawer opens, revealing a large pouch. Not so large that it can comically fit inside, but large enough that Six assumes it's filled with Valis valued more expensively. And with that, Six puts in a bottlecap. He grabs the pouch as the drawer reels back.

"I'm gonna assume yer' gonna come back here to trade in the others for next time, correct?" The man behind the counter asked.

" _'Fraid so._ " Six states, placing the pouch in his ' _Inventory_ '.

 _2,000,000 Valis added._

"Well, sometimes, there are other shops—or rather _some_ shops—that can be able to trade that thing in. And I bet ya, rather than goin' here trading bottlecaps one by one, there are some that can probably trade in… 20 or 50 give or take. And, the best part? Instead of giving the money on hand, they'll deliver it to yer' address with more than 2 million Valis."

" _That sounds useful. Very, useful._ " Six commented. Impressed that some shops can accommodate him more properly.

"Indeed, lad. If you want, I can give ya a list that ye can check out." The man suggested.

" _That'd be appreciated._ " Six stated, as he then heard scribbling behind the window. And moments after, the drawer came out with a folded piece of parchment. When Six grabbed the paper and tried to read it, well.. he _tried_ , being the keyword here. As again, the handwriting looks foreign and alien.

But luckily, his Pip-Boy managed to decipher and add a new note onto his _Miscellaneous_ tab of the _Data_ section.

" _I'll check these out, thanks._ " Six said. As he didn't want to pull out his Pip-Boy right now and attract attention. He only heard grumbling from the other side of the window.

Before he could leave, the commotion next to him, which being the people bound in ropes or chains, had given him a thought. One that he wanted to voice out.

" _Um, sir? What's exactly the noise about with the crowd next to here?_ " Six asked the man behind the counter.

"Ah, these buggers. Well, we got news of some noise complaints last night all over the city. Like, complaints happening all at once. So some of the Guild staff and Ganesha kids checked out the sites. Turns out some bugger gave us some corrupted God and his connections to the Black Market District. So early morning, we rounded up and caught the damn buggers. Those bubs are what yer' seein' right now."

The man gestured to the crowd beside them. Six looked and observed them once again. Yep, adventurers and some other businessmen/businesswomen. Ranging from all races, Amazonians, Fox People (Six knew they were Renards, but doesn't care), Midgets, and many others.

' _Is this.. what I really did?_ ' Six thought. All what he did last night, busting corrupt people because beating up people is the equivalent of jacking off for him. ' _Damn. I didn't even mean to take down the Black Market._ '

"I would thank the asscrack who busted these guys," The man behind the counter spoke again. Gaining Six's attention. "but because of these boys we'll be busy fer the next three days. Doing all paperwork and whatnot."

" _Huh._ " Was all Six could mutter out.

Then what the man said next stumped the Courier.

"That also means that any new adventurers tryna register at the Guild would haveta wait until Monsterphilia. Which then, it'll be making a large crowd from here to the next district."

" _Wait, did you say no registration of new adventurers?_ " Six repeated, his voice sounding a bit worried.

"Yep. If I were you, I'd be registering today before our workload gets in the shit." The man answered.

' _Fucking.. great. Just what I needed._ ' Six thought sourly in his mind.

" _Well,_ " Six began, his voice now more composed than before. " _thanks again sir. I'll be back to trade the others for next time._ "

"You got it, lad." The man bade farewell as Six separated from the exchange booth and into the main counter. One of which, had a free line. He immediately walked into the empty lane and was greeted by a pink-haired Guild girl that's probably in her 20s or so.

"Hello there! May I help you?" She asked cheerily. Not seemingly fazed by Six's unintended threatening look. Which put a slight relief in Six, thankful for not having to face the crowd's noise like last time.

" _Uh, yes. I would like to register as a new adventurer._ " Six stated.

"Ah, I see. Then," The girl got a good look at Six. Before pulling out a registration form from behind the counter and placed it before the Courier. "please fill out this form before we proceed."

Six took a look at the form, which again, it was ineligible to read. Thankfully, his Pip-Boy printed a digital copy in his _Data_ tab. He discreetly checked the digital note, and compared it with the paper.

" _Excuse me miss, you wouldn't happen to have a private room for me to use?_ " Six asked.

The girl, slightly surprised at his question, answered back. "Yes, we do happen to have some vacant ones. Would you like me to accommodate you there?"

" _Yes, sure._ " Six replied, as the girl gestured to follow her. She walked out to the other side of the counter first before Six had to follow her.

' _This is gonna take a while._ ' Six groaned.

* * *

"10 million.." The man continued after a minute. "20 million.."

"Man! Thought ya woulda lost count by now! Heheh!" His friend commented, where then the man just shook his head.

"I'm doing this because I don't want the boss chewing out my overtime!" He retorted. "25 million.."

"Yep." The man sitting on the desk suddenly spoke. "So unless if you don't want the shares missing, you can also start counting properly Jinx."

"Eh, I'll try."

"Try? Or do?"

"D-do." The man replied, making sure to not piss off his boss.

"Good." The boss said before going silent in the office.

Said office was looking messy. Luxurious but messy. On the couch, the chairs, the desk, even underneath the carpet had stacks and coins of Valis all over. From large to small. Hell, there was even an organized stack of abnormally large coins on the boss' table. Signifying the coin as a different type of currency that Orario is not aware about. Well, _most_ of them aren't aware. The underground community of it..

It had been a weird day for Lanikos Perdix. First, his God suddenly talks about a malfunction and oddity in the timeline. Then announces to the majority of the Familia that he has to leave for a while and told Lanikos to immediately send all deliveries and deals for tonight. And with that, the entire manor was almost abandoned. As the others were doing said deliveries and deals with their customers. Save for some guards and the captain of the Familia himself, who's filling out a timesheet.

The sudden push of deliveries had caused quite an uproar in the Familia. Everyone complained about it as they had a rough day the night before, but their God did promise a large bonus and a special _time prediction_ for the team who could sell the highest of their product. And whatever their God promises, he always pulls through. With that, everyone raced and competed for that bonus reward. But that didn't ease and cover up the fact that he knew his God freaked out. He would've questioned him about it, but that opportunity left when he walked out of the manor as soon as possible.

But hey, the upside was the privileges of having little amount of people in the manor. Boy, did everyone—even Lanikos—used that opportunity. That hour of sleep was anyone in the Familia wanted for Christmas. Although if his God knew of that, he wouldn't hear the end of it. Literally.

As Lanikos finished his current paper, he began to file it under his cabinet. The lines of documents and folders in the drawer were more than he could perceive. Though that didn't matter, he had to just slide the paper into the fresh empty folder that was placed in first of line a dozen minutes ago. With the sheet done, he checked the clock beside him.

Oh yeah, the clocks. The entire office walls were lined with them. In fact, there wasn't a spot that isn't covered by wall clocks. There were multitudes of grandfather clocks even inside the office, and ceiling clocks? Those were creepy. Especially the giant ceiling clock in the main hall.

Though one clock on his desk, the one he's currently looking at right now, was a brand new model of clock ever invented. It was a new type of clock, called digital. It had the proper display of time in Orario. Like, exact proper. It counted the specific hour and minute and second of it. Heck, it also displayed the current date of today. And don't get him started on the other useful mechanics this device displayed. A stopwatch? The more simple and detailed version of an hourglass?

But enough of that, he squinted his eyes over to the current time. "12:19 A.M."

His God would kill him for using the digital clock, because he says it's bad practice for guessing the time currently using facts. While Lanikos was quite a professional on that subject, it doesn't hurt to check the specific time, now would it?

"Hey, Carl? Isn't the guard house supposed to be notifying us about the first restock team by now?" Lanikos asked. This was a rare occasion, none of their teams that were going to restock had been late. It was standard protocol for the Familia, everyone—including the newbies—were taught to practice how to not be late. If even, by a second were someone to be late, they would've gotten punished.

"Oh yeah.. let me go check." One of the two persons replied. Standing from the couch and began walking to the door.

"Good, come back ASAP."

"AGH!"

With the sound of bone cracking or worse, snapping, the man named Carl suddenly was thrown to the middle of the room. He moaned in pain, clutching his stomach. The other two people in the room stood up on their guard. Tense from the sudden intrusion. The two looked over at each other, surprised at what the hell was going on. Both were currently mouthing what happened. None of them knowing what or who it was.

When the other man was going to step and check, a sudden sound interrupt—

 ** _BANG!_**

The two recoiled from the sudden deafening sound. Holding their ears to ease the ringing noise stuck in their eardrums. The man was going to continue and check it out..

 ** _BANG, BANG!_**

Only to receive two gunshots to the kneecap and the forehead.

Lanikos closed his eyes this time from the sound. When he peeked an eye to check what happened, he saw a tall figure looking over the other man that was on the floor. The man that had a pool of blood over his body.

"What the.." Lanikos muttered to himself.

The intruder wore a dark grass green overcoat. Green padded armor on his shoulder and on his forearms. His left wrist had some rectangular object attached and his left was holding some sort of weapon that resembled a crossbow, aimed towards the body on the ground before him. His head was some sort of helmet, a pair of red visors and a weird mask over the mouth part. His head entirely was covered up, right up to the neck even.

Oh, and also this intruder had a _terrifying presence_ surrounding him.

And then the intruder looked at him briefly with his red pair of visors. Fear now sinking into Lanikos. He raised his hands up, surrendering. Assuring him he won't respond with harm.

But then the intruder's left arm pointed at him with the weapon exclusively. And within the next second, a loud sound went off where then he experienced an unexpected painful surge that coursed from his shoulder to the body.

"GAGH!" He yelled from the sudden pain that knocked him off his feet and sent his face to the floor. "Gaouch…"

Lanikos checked his right shoulder, a hole was present on his clothes. But when he lifted his suit, he found a hole on his shoulder with blood bleeding out of it. The sight made the pain much worse, making him moan further.

He didn't even hear the thudding footsteps that was getting closer every second. What he did notice moments after was a pair of armored boots just before his eyes. Lanikos slowly looked up, tracing the armored boots up to the armored trousers and up further to the armored torso beneath the coat and the helmet that was looking down upon him.

Saying that the situation for him currently was intimidating is an understatement.

It was like death's very emissary was watching him squirm.

Then suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed onto Lanikos then threw him onto the table, and made him roll off and fall into the ground. He grunted as he felt the floor collide with his bleeding shoulder. The pain still present. Lanikos' vision was getting blurry. He could see two bodies on the ground with a puddle of blood around them. Oh Gods, was he going to die like that?

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a foot stomp onto his ribs. Making Lanikos scream in pain.

" _Are you the head of this.. Familia?_ " A terrifying distorted voice spoke. He assumed it belonged to the intruder.

Lanikos didn't want to experience pain any further, so he answered nicely.

"No.. that's my God you idiot..!"

The foot's pressure deepened. " _Then what role do you play in this.. Familia?_ "

But seriously, he didn't want to piss off his attacker further.

"I'm the.. C-Captain you.. d-d-dumbass!"

Lanikos cried in pain when the foot removed itself briefly before stomping onto it's position.

" _I hear you have plenty of information to burn for this Familia._ "

Oh Gods.. Lanikos isn't the type to get intimidated like that. But at times like this..

" _Can you point me to the most crucial documents you have? That or, you getting castrated._ "

..he had to accept.

He pointed shakily to his desk. "O-over there.." He meekly managed to answer back. "..asswipe.."

" _Alright._ "

"LANIKOS! GREAT SCOTT, WHAT THE?!"

That voice.. impossible.

"C-Cronos?"

That was the last thing he heard before something collided with his head.

* * *

" _Misha... was it?_ _I'm done with the form._ " Six said as he passed the paper to the pink-haired girl.

"Ah, let me have a look." She said as she reviewed over the form. When she set her eyes onto the first line, she raised a brow.

"Your name is 'Courier Six'?" Misha asked, a thumb on her teeth.

" _That would be me._ " Six answered.

"Are.. you sure—"

" _Yes, that is my name. Let us carry on._ "

"Oh, no. I wasn't about to say that, I was going to say; are you sure you want this be filed under that name?" Misha corrected.

" _Um.. if possible, then yes. Please file me under that name._ " Six replied.

"Okay then. Um.." She continued reviewing over the form. "So you have not gotten yourself into a Familia yet?"

" _..no, I haven't. I'll look around today, and when I get into one, you'll be the first to be updated._ " Six thought about lying, but what good would that do in the long run?

"Okay, I see. That is if I were to be your advisor." Misha replied.

" _Advisor?_ "

"Yes. It's highly recommended that you get a Dungeon Advisor as a newly registered adventurer. Though not necessarily required, it will definitely help you." Misha inquired.

" _Ah, I see. How do I get one?_ " Six asked.

"Um, are you sure you want to get one now?" Misha checked.

" _I'd rather review over my form one time with my advisor so that I don't have to sit through it again._ " Six said. It sounded a bit cold if you think about it. " _Besides, I still have much to do for today. I'd like it if we can make this fast._ "

"I see. Umm.." Misha said, before switching the form on her hand with a folder on locked on her shoulder. "I'll give you three Advisors to pick from. Check over their details. You can't switch after you've picked one."

Misha plopped the folder on the table. Which Six opened and saw three pictures of three Guild Advisors. Below the pictures were details of their career and their pros and cons.

' _There is no Misha on here. Um.. Karen Santiago—by the way, very earthly name—good at filing and detailing. Very serious with her penmanship and her reports. Rose Fannett. Werewolf, hard-headed. Knows how to give the pep-talk. Hm, pretty tempting to take. Heck, she even knows how to associate properly with her adventurers. Then there's Eina Tulle—okay instantly picking—_ '

" _I pick her._ " Six pointed to her picture.

"Hm, very quick. Ehm, Eina-san?" Misha checked.

Six didn't have a reason to explain to her why he picked Eina specifically, though he saw a glimpse of an excuse to use.

" _Says here she knows her Dungeons._ " Six stated. Before muttering something under his breath. " _Boy that sounds wrong._ "

"That's why you picked her?"

" _Hey, I'm going into unknown territory. I need to know what I need to know._ " Six replied. " _It says here she has long sessions about what essentials to remember in the Dungeon._ "

"Are you sure you can handle those _deadly_ teaching sessions?" Misha said with a little smile on her face.

" _If it means not getting killed, then please, I would pick her._ "

Misha narrowed her eyes at him. Trying to check for anything suspicious about Six. Though with the helmet on, it makes it harder because she can't find anything about his current mood. She sighed, letting the matter go and finalizing Six's decision.

"Okay then Mr. Six—"

" _Just please call me Six. It sounds annoying to hear a prefix to my name._ " Six interjected.

"— _Six_ , please come back in an hour or two to check in with your Guild Advisor. She just has to get an idea for your registration and prepare for the evaluation with you." Misha explained, cleaning and gathering the folders on the table as Six began to stand. "Is that understood?"

" _Yep. Be back in an hour, then I get a talk with my Advisor._ " Six opened the door and gestured for Misha to go first. " _After you._ "

Misha chuckled before going out the door first and separating with Six. He himself came out next and closed the door behind him before heading for the exit. When he came out on the other side, the streets got more crowded than before. And boy it's going to be hard to traverse through this shitstorm of a crowd.

The Courier heaved a sigh, before beginning to walk and weave through the crowd. He already set a course for his next destination, and hopefully it should be open for early breakfast.

' _I better also check if the kid tried to pay for his paid meal._ ' Six thought, before groaning as the crowd got thicker.

* * *

"C-Cronos?" Lanikos croaked.

' _Wait, Cronos as in, God of time?_ ' Six thought, before idly pistol-whipping Lanikos. Knocking him out cold.

Six aimed _Lucky_ at Cronos. An old man wearing a white suit with a black undershirt underneath. Along with black shoes, a chain holding a watch around his neck. Several watches on him, including a pocket watch. Hell, he had a ring on him with a miniature tiny watch embedded on it.

' _How the fuck can one read that?_ ' Six referred to the tiny ass watch.

The old man raised his hands defensively. Surrendering. He had a scowl on his face, and he looked like he wanted an explanation.

"What the shit is this all about? You know you're wasting time here." Cronos told him.

' _Oh my fucking God, if he's going to make time-related puns I will shoot him in the thigh._ '

" _I'm here because of your criminal connections. I'm going to take what you've worked for, all away._ " Six stepped over Lanikos' unconscious body and stepped closer to Cronos. Who stepped back a little.

"You don't know what you're doing, fool. You're going to mess up the timeline—" The God then instantly had an expression of fear and worry over his face. He gasped a bit, looking like he had an epiphany.

"You!" He really looked pissed, pointing at Six with a finger. "You're the unpredictable variable in the timeline!"

" _The… what now?_ " Six said, his aim tenser. " _I'm not going to ask again, and you will answer my questions. Why did you order a hit on these people?_ "

Six tossed him the contract he stole from the group of thugs earlier. Cronos unraveled the parchment and scanned over it. His eyes widening when he realized what it was.

"These.. these are the people who'll lead Orario to another Dark Age," Cronos explained. "These people.. Arde, Crozzo, Yamato, Sanjouno, and especially that Cranel boy! I saw the future! And it isn't looking well!"

" _And how am I sure that I am taking your word as gospel?_ " Six asked because while Cronos is the God of time, it's implausible to think that he can see through time itself. The Gods sealed their powers, he doubts if the God before him can predict a terrorist attack right now.

"My Familia knows and believes in my predictions! After all, my takes in the future never fail! What, you want me to do you?" Cronos asked.

" _Aside from sounding like a blowie, you think you can predict my future?_ " Six retorted. "[INTELLIGENCE 7] _Because I just heard I was called the 'unpredictable variable' just seconds ago._ "

Cronos growled. As if what Six said meant something true. And it was the truth. "[SUCCESS] Rrgh, that's the thing with you. I don't know what your movements are in the damn future. But, that doesn't mean I can make an outcome from the scraps!"

Six felt himself raise a brow as his revolver aimed further. " _Scraps?_ "

"I can still see shreds of your future, and judging from the pieces.." Cronos' face of smug turned into something of fear. "..dear Heavens, YOU'RE THE REASON THAT ORARIO COULD FALL!"

" _What? How is that going to work, and what do you mean 'could fall'?_ " Six replied angrily. Not getting where Cronos was at.

"I can't say the exact details, but I never lie about a prediction!" Cronos seethed through his teeth.

Six just ignored the rest of his sentences and went straight to business. " _Let me get this straight: you're ordering a hit_ _on these people because they're shaping the future of this city?_ "

"You don't need to know the details. If you do, some of the shit meant to happen won't happen!" Cronos spat.

" _Okay, that's enough._ " Six said as he pulled the trigger, the bullet impacting Cronos' thigh.

"OW! FUCK!" Cronos exclaimed as he fell on his bottom while clutching his bleeding thigh. "By the Nine, that FUCKING hurts! How can you harm a Divine Being?!"

Behind the mask, Six looked at him like he was joking. " _Um, because I want to harm a Divine Being? God, what the fuck is up with you people.._ "

"No you ass! I mean that unless your mind can resist the willpower to not harm a deity, you can't just kick a God in the nuts like you want to!" Cronos explained.

Six walked closer to him. " _Wait, you're saying that a normal being can't just harm deities? Why's that?_ "

"It's a rule one of the first Gods made! Unless you have great mental resistance, it's not easy to beat up people like me!" Cronos then whined in pain again when his thigh got worse.

' _Oh. I see. Better take that into account._ '

" _So, any last words before all your hard work crumbles?_ " Six asked, pointing _Lucky_ over Cronos' forehead.

"In time.. you'll know what it's like to lose." Cronos spat with venom.

" _Thank you for your kind words._ " Six said before sending a boot to his head. Whipping back before going limp. " _Besides, I never lose_ _._ "

' _And I also can't just leave a trail of bodies behind. I should let the Guild have some of the meat._ '

Six turned his eyes to the door he had entered previously. Remembering how he killed the guards before confronting the captain of the Familia. He then turned his attention to the desk where Lanikos had sat upon. Remembering to check if there was something else important to check out. Besides, the man had plenty more time to burn.

He went over to the desk and began scrummaging around the drawers. The first thing he saw was a paper filled with schedules. These schedules were not just listed with specific labels, but they had specific team codes or names and certain locations written on. Plus, the date of those schedules were meant for today.

Maybe he could take out two or three teams…

" _Nah, I'll just take them all out._ " Six decided before throwing the schedule away as it was downloaded by his Pip-Boy. He turned to the large window to his right, pointing his pistol at it as he then unloaded an entire chamber on the window. When it shattered, he kept on going until his gun clicked empty.

That's enough to attract attention.

* * *

" _Here we are._ " Six muttered to himself, pulling himself away from the crowd as he looked at the Pub before him. Lights weren't on, but he saw some people walking around inside. He just shook his head and decided to head on in.

When he went past the front door, a waitress approached him.

" _Lion._ " Six greeted.

"Courier-san." The leaf-haired Elf greeted back with a slight bow.

" _Can you please not call me that? Plus, why are you even thinking of calling me 'Courier'?_ "

That caught the Elf off-guard. "Um.. It's just a spur of the moment.. in fact, I do not even know why."

Six groaned. The damn name does not sound coincidental at all. But Six shook it off, there's no reason to be suspicious at some waitress just doing her job, right? She doesn't have any other agenda of the sort so...

"What can I help you with for today?" She asked. That brought Six to her attention.

" _Two things actually. One, are you currently open?_ " Six asked with a finger up.

"Well we aren't open—"

"We are nya open for business, nya!" A sudden voice said from behind them. Who was flipping the closed sign to open. The lights of the Pub began to flicker up, though it was only lit by a few lights. Mama Mia's way of saving power and money.

" _Just my luck._ " Six would have been smiling had it not been for the helmet.

"Well, since we are now open, what can I get you?" Lion asked as she pulled out a notepad.

" _I was wondering what the waitress could recommend for today._ " Six suggested. Deciding not to push his luck like yesterday. Winging the breakfast menu is a bit risky so he doesn't want to abuse it.

The Elf stood there, contemplating about something before rolling her eyes with a sigh. "I would recommend a simple meal of scrambled eggs with burger patties sided with white rice."

' _Really? I can order something like that?_ ' Six wondered, just thinking about how American that meal was.

" _I'll have that. And also black coffee if you would. If you can repeat the same blend from last night, I'll throw in an extra 70 Valis._ " Six stated.

Lion tore the paper from the pad and read over it again. "Your order is: Scrambled eggs with burger patties, sided with regular rice. And black coffee."

" _Yeah, that's all_." Lion nodded at Six as she gestured him to take a seat at the bar. Noticing that she referred to his spot last night.

He didn't notice Lion walk back to the kitchen, possibly handing the chefs the order and made her way back to where Six was. Who had settled on his seat, his helmet was placed on the bar just to his right and tucked his gloves in his pocket. Six only noticed her when she stood frozen in her spot. Just near the Courier, waiting for him to notice her.

" _Something up?_ " Six asked, though instead of his distorted voice, a much more audible and friendly voice had spoken. A very large change of vocals.

"You said that you wanted to ask two things. What is the second matter?" Lion reminded.

" _Oh, right. Almost forgot. Um.._ " Six scratched his head as he tried to remember. His eyes opening with realization. " _Has that white-haired kid stopped by? Paying for his dinner last night?_ "

"Ah, you mean Cranel-san." Lion stated.

' _Oh, he has a name… wait._ ' Six stopped dead in his tracks. His nonchalant demeanor changing into that of something very similar to a revelation. He looked at Lion with a very surprised expression.

" _You said.. Cranel?_ " He paused and emphasized the last word.

Lion only nodded slowly. Perhaps with caution. "Yes. I did say that. Why?"

It all made sense now.

The pieces finally connected, his mind farting like he had hacked into a difficult terminal that Klein or Mobius had locked. His face certainly stunned at what he had stumbled upon. What the old man told him back in the village, the words echoing in his mind.

 _Please watch over my grandson. Red eyes, white hair. Naïve. Bell Cranel was his name._

Six was also certain the probability of Cranel having a sibling or another person with the same surname but different blood was very low.

He knew something ate at his mind when he really set his attention on the white-haired kid last night. Like, out of all the people, it was that person that was the most noticeable. There was a silent voice or so calling out to his attention, yet he didn't even acknowledge it. He was too focused on the people naming and labeling him through rumors.

Then another memory resurfaced. The time he confronted Cronos about the targets, one of which had the name ' _Bell Cranel_ '.

So he saved that kid (and every other one on the contract) without anyone else knowing?

' _Jesus fuckin' Christ.._ '

"Courier-san, are you okay?" A sudden voice called him out of his thoughts. He jolted a bit from the attention, realizing the source was in front of him.

" _Y-yeah, Lion. I'm fine. Just had a realization…_ "

' _So that's the kid I have to watch over?_ ' Six thought. ' _I'll be honest though, he does have my attention. No doubt I wanna see what he's up to._ '

"Okay. It was obvious that you had a look of epiphany over your face." Lion pointed out while Six ignored it.

 _Ding!_

"Ah, that's your order. I will return shortly." Lion stated as she made her way back to the kitchen. A moment later, she returned to Six with a plate and a mug on hand. When she saw his face, he looked perturbed. Though not in an ' _I'm gonna die tomorrow_ ' way, more of a ' _what to do with this matter_ ' way.

Wait, why did it matter? She doesn't have to think about this, worrying about him. Despite what she had seen last night. Better yet, what she had seen _earlier_.

* * *

Ryuu blinked. She blinked again, feeling boogers in her eyes. She immediately wiped them off, before sitting up and yawning. Also stretching her arms. She could feel her limbs snap a bit, a sense of satisfaction hitting her. She yawned again and wiped her eyes, water forming in her eyelids.

Now, the hardest part of getting up comes next. Everyone who has a body despises this part. Ryuu slowly, but surely removed one leg from the bed. And slowly took off another leg, her feet touching the ground. Inhaling, she mustered the strength to get up from the bed. And that she did, while as slow as it was, she got up and felt herself stretch her entire body.

After making sure her ears were comfortable in her sleep, she checked the clock on her dresser for what time it was.

"Exactly 4'o clock." She muttered to herself. Pretty early, though not as early as Mama Mia's schedule.

When Ryuu wakes up, it's almost impossible for her to go back to sleep. With that in mind, tucking herself back to catch a few Z's is out of the question. She could train in the inner yard, though she couldn't feel something that could jumpstart her mood for training. So that's also crossed out.

She could go down and dress up early. Maybe preparing ahead can get her a bonus or additional overtime. She could use it for the opportunity. After the debacle with Syr being late days ago, that came back and haunted them for it. Losing overtime and one vacation day for the following week.

It doesn't hurt to try when one thinks about it. So sure, she could go ahead and play early bird. But before that, a shower for the day must do.

With an exhale, Ryuu opened her curtains. Letting the blue dawn sky enter her vision. The sun was still coming up, so it wouldn't be until 5 in the morning for the sun to rise and shine. Putting that aside, she could see the usual buildings and the inner yard of the Pub. The buildings just neighboring them do have some lights open, but it was mostly closed.

The inner yard was still there. The boxes and bins in the back, some clothes hanging on a clothesline. And the group being beaten up by a single man. So nothing has changed that much—

"What is this?" Ryuu stopped herself and watched closely. Just across the entire yard, the alleyway had bodies of adventurers sprawled all over the ground. She could even hear fighting just in the alleyway, what was happening?

She discreetly watched the fight go on. Ryuu witnessed a man being overpowered by a figure in a long overcoat. The former of the two was then knocked off his feet and sent to the ground moaning in pain like some of the others. Ryuu watched and saw the latter crouch to the other man's level and proceed to send a barrage of punches onto his face. The Elf focused on the attacker, and from where she was along with her adventurer abilities, she could see red glowing from the figure's head. Green and armored plates could be seen on the shoulders of the figure. Speaking of the head, it wasn't a head. It was a helmet, a helmet masking his entire face. It was weirdly both intimidating and charming.

An idea came to mind on who this person was.

When the figure finished up with his prey below him, he was about to stand when he turned to his right and drew an object. Which made a loud sound and a miniature explosion? But then Ryuu saw a person just meters from the tall figure collapse to his knees and cry out in pain.

Okay, that weapon might've reinforced her guess.

Then just next to the overcoat figure was a person that climbed out of the destroyed pile of boxes and tried to run away from his attacker by heading to the alleyway that was behind the person. However, he was immediately pulled and grabbed by the person in the overcoat. Who threw him onto a wall, eliciting a yelp of pain, before being pulled and thrown into the concrete floor. When Ryuu thought he was done, the figure pulled him up by firmly grasping his neck.

Her enhanced senses managed to catch the conversation those two were having.

" _Who's in-charge here?_ " A distorted voice asked.

The man being choked limply pointed at the man who was crawling on the ground. One that was shot earlier by the figure. "H-him."

The figure's gaze wandered onto whom he was referring to. " _Ah, lucky me I suppose._ "

Ryuu thought the man would just be released from the chokehold. However, the figure in the overcoat twisted his neck. The body falling limply right after. That caught the Elf off-guard, making her flinch at the sight. While she had experienced her fair share of massacring people, looking back that was kind of disturbing. And so was this familiar sight.

The man with the red visors marched his way to the person on his knees. She could hear him sob in agony, damn, feels like torture. The tall figure then grabbed the person's back and tossed him onto where the person he had recently killed was at. She heard him grunt in pain, while the figure walked to where he was and stomped his back.

" _Any last words before the Guild busts your entire Familia?_ " She heard the distorted voice speak. Guild? Bust?

"J-just.. puh-please.. stop this pain…" The man croaked. Wheezing a painful breath.

" _I would. But that would mean I'd kill you. And the Guild would have no evidence against your business._ " After that, the figure crouched and seemingly emptied the air out of the man. He likely made him unconscious. When he was done, he looked around. Possibly checking if anyone else was watching him. Little did he know, a waitress was spectating his entire show.

When he looked to be certain, he grabbed the weapon he had used earlier. And pointed it at the sky.

 ** _BANG! BANG! BANG!_**

Ryuu flinched at the loud sounds. She can handle sounds as loud as them, but these were happening unpredictably. She couldn't really prepare for it.

The entire area around him woke up. Judging from how lights and how sounds were suddenly emerging around the buildings. Why did he wake everyone up?

Maybe it was to get them to see what happened. And they would call in for emergency help, possibly involving the Guild and the Ganesha Familia. After what Ryuu had seen and heard from what the figure said, it was the most likely of explanations.

She still laid her eyes on the figure, who holstered his weapon and dashed into the alley right next to him. The shadow completely making him disappear from sight.

When she was done watching him and trying to get an eye where he could've possibly fled to, she sighed deeply. Thinking about what had just happened.

While all of that happened, the sun was slowly rising in the horizon. Because of that, it gave the area around the overcoat figure a bit of light. Making Ryuu see the person a bit more clearly. When she had a very clear sight, her memories ran back to the one person she had accommodated recently.

It was no mistake. It was the same Courier she had served.

So what was he doing with criminals in alleyways? Was he serving justice through vigilantism?

If she's being honest, he would have her respect. After all, she did serve justice of her own back when.

"What's going on out there?!" The Elf heard Mama Mia yell. Possibly walking out in the back to check what was going on.

Just outside her door, she could hear doors opening and voices clamoring.

Ryuu sighed. Well, there goes waking up early.

* * *

The elf flashed back to reality. She shook her head rapidly, putting aside the vivid memory. Lion proceeded with her task, placing the Courier's order onto his spot. The Courier also woke from his trance, looking at his order and looking at Lion.

" _Oh right. Thanks._ " He remembered, as he grabbed the utensils and began digging in. He let loose a moan of satisfaction. He muttered something under his breath. " _Mmm. I could get used to this._ "

After a bite or two, he took a sip from his coffee. When he let down the mug, he saw that the elf was still standing there. As if she were waiting for something.

Then Six called her out. " _So.. about the Cranel kid..?_ "

"Ah.. about that—"

 _Ding!_

The door of the Pub opened. Revealing adventurers who were also hungry as well.

"I'm sorry. But I have to take some orders." Lion bowed lightly to him, making Six slightly surprised and embarrassed. "If you will excuse me..."

The waitress walked past his spot and began taking orders as she said. Six watched her do her work, before realizing she wouldn't be walking back to him and explain the situation of the Cranel kid anytime soon. So for that, he went back to eating his burger patties. Indulging the flavor and the fact that he's hungry.

While he was sipping coffee, he heard a voice call his attention.

"Ah, if it isn't the stubborn courier!" Six lowered his mug and saw a tall dwarf just diagonal from him. Wiping glasses with a rag.

" _Why call me 'courier', exactly?_ " Six asked.

"Heard Ryuu call you that twice now. It somehow sounds fitting." Mama Mia answered.

" _Well. If you wanna know, people do call me Courier Six._ " Six remarked.

"Really now?" Six nodded. Leading Mama Mia to chuckle. "Heheh, how's your order? Is it good?"

" _Yeah. I'm surprised you guys serve breakfast here._ "

"Heh, we don't usually open early. We overstocked yesterday, so might as well free up some space early on." Mia explained.

" _Ah. That's why._ " Six sipped his coffee. Before lowering it again and asking Mama Mia a question. " _Has the white-haired kid stopped by?_ "

Mama Mia seemed to remember from her expression. And explained the situation.

"He went here earlier. Coming with money of his own. Though while I do appreciate it, we turned it down. Telling him that you paid for his meal already." Mia explained. "In fact, he told us that if we see you again, he wanted to talk to you personally."

" _Oh. Does he now? You know where he_ _lives?_ " Six asked after swallowing some egg.

"Don't know. You'll haveta meet him yourself if you wanna talk." Mama Mia then placed a plate with food on a counter. As a brown-haired Cat Person swiped it off and gave it to a customer. "Anyway, I have a business to run. Enjoy your meal."

The dwarf walked away from where Six was as the man chuckled. " _I will_ _._ "

Six continued on eating. While he did so, his thoughts were drifting onto his plans for today and probably for the next couple of days. Every bite, he was making an agenda. Every sip of his coffee, he modified his schedule. Making sure it wouldn't waste time and effort while also making assumptions if one of his timed schedules would take longer than he thought.

' _So recap: Head to the Guild to meet my Advisor. Maybe while doing that, I should check if the Guild has basic information about Familias I could join. Though the Loki Familia is still important, as Riveria is there. After the Guild meet, I could head back to the orphanage and fix up the place and the satellite. Though the best I can do with the probe is look at it and yell "Fixed it". Maybe do the same with my Power Armor. Then if I have spare time, I could_ _—_ '

"Um.. mr. Adventurer?" A cute voice called him out.

"..."

"Mr. Adventurer?" The voice repeated.

" _I'm thinking, be quiet._ " Six stated as he sipped his coffee and raised a single finger in the air. Not bothering to look at the speaker.

"Umm..."

...

" _Shush, you're thinking! It's driving me nuts._ " Six lightly exclaimed and looked to the source. Who was taken aback a bit from the sudden yell. Six softened his tense body and noticed the threatening mindset he had on. Probably the effects of him thinking too deeply: brooding.

Six looked at the speaker, the silver-haired waitress he saw last night. One that served the Cranel kid and sat up close with him. Six looked around, and unfortunately, his exclamation is louder than he initially thought it was. As some of the customers and most of the waitresses and staff—excluding Mama Mia as she was out—were giving him weird looks and glares.

' _Whoops. My bad._ '

" _Um, sorry about that. I was thinking about something._ " Six reassured and lost his tense expression.

"Oh, no! That was my bad. I shouldn't have disturbed you!" The waitress kindly apologized and shook her hands. Giggling a bit and smiling at him sweetly.

" _Uh, no. That's fine._ " Six waved off her apology, thinking it was embarrassing. " _You needed something?_ "

"Oh, it's just that you've been here for the past hour eating and um..."

' _Shit, it's been an hour?_ '

" _Oh sorry. Is there anyone waiting or was I eating up time?_ " Six drank the last of his coffee (surprising it lasted that long). And strapped on his helmet. When he did, his calm and human voice became distorted once more.

"Uh no. I just thought—"

" _How much is my meal?_ " Six interjected.

"It's 350 Valis for everyth—"

 _Jingle!_

A pouch of Valis suddenly plopped on the counter.

" _Also here's a tip._ " Six said as she was handed 100 Valis worth of coins. " _Apologies for the behavior. See you._ "

Six jogged past the waitress and went past the door. Running towards the Guild while making his way through some crowds.

Meanwhile back at the Hostess, Syr stared at the Valis she had and the one on the counter. She noticed footsteps coming her way and saw Ryuu with a broom.

"Syr, are you alright?" She asked with worry.

"I'm alright." The sly waitress only giggled. "That man is certainly interesting.."

Ryuu narrowed her eyes at her friend. Wondering what kind of interest had been sparked in her now.

First was Bell Cranel, and now she declared her interest for the Courier?

'Syr, my friend. You worry me.' Ryuu thought to herself.

While Ryuu worryingly stared at her friend. Syr was thinking about the man's interesting thought process.

'Even helmets speak in volumes.'

* * *

The doors to the Pantheon opened, revealing a Courier in Riot Armor. He scanned the building before remembering what he had to do. He made his way to an empty lane, there he saw the pink-haired Guild Staff he had interacted with earlier.

" _Misha?_ " Six said her name, the girl looking up from the folders she had in front of her.

"Oh, Courier-san! You seem on time. Are you that excited to meet your Advisor?" She asked a bit teasingly.

" _Yep. If I was 14._ " Six replied, making the Guild member chuckle.

"Well, she's waiting for you in one of the waiting rooms. If you find a reserved sign, that should be her." Misha pointed.

" _Copy. Thanks._ " Six nodded before moving on to where the waiting rooms were. With a bit of walking, the first door he found had a reserved sign on it. Without warning his presence, he immediately opened the door.

Which startled a brown-haired half-elf who was nose deep in her work. Making her yelp and jolt up as the folders she was holding were lightly tossed up in the air. She managed to catch the small stack in her hands, with that, she released a sigh of relief. Before having to glare weakly at the man before the door.

She hummed negatively, pouting a bit. "Do knock next time."

" _I don't knock._ " Six measly replied as he walked through the door and closed it behind him. " _Knocking kills people._ "

"Sheesh, you're going to be a handful." The half-elf sighed.

" _What was that?_ " Six sat on the couch opposite of her.

"Nothing!" She yelped before regaining her composure. "Anyway, let's get on with business. Shall we?"

Six nodded.

"Alright then. My name is Eina Tulle. Though I'm guessing you know that since you picked me. Right?" She extended an arm for Six to shake. To which he did.

" _Yeah. Courier Six._ " He pointed to himself. " _Although you should know that too. Since you read up about my small file._ "

Eina scoffed. "Yes. Quite a file you had."

" _A bare-bones file, I may add._ "

The half-elf shook her head while smiling. "I might as well not orient you on how to survive in the Dungeon Mr. Courier Six."

Six sighed hearing that. " _Okay, ground rule: We don't be formal with each other. Sounds too cliche and..._ _formal._ "

Eina hummed. Before smiling at him. "Okay then, _Six-kun_."

" _Well, we're getting somewhere_ Eina-san." Six replied.

"Hm, if I may. I would like to add a ground rule of my own."

" _Fire away._ "

"Since we're not being formal with each other, may you please remove your helmet for each session we have?" Eina gestured to his Elite Riot Helm.

While this did discomfort Six, he thought it was fair. And besides, he should respect Eina's decisions. It's what Aina would have wanted, would it not?

" _Okay, fine._ " Six said as he began unstrapping his helmet. The pressurized air fizzing out. " _Were you getting intimidated by my mask?_ "

"Ehm.. I would admit, I was." Eina laughed nervously.

Six finally took off the helmet and placed it on top of the coffee table in front of him. While Eina raised her eyebrows at his face. Which looked calm and nonchalant. While it also had a few cuts and bruises that looked like they were a day old.

"For a 39-year-old person, you look young." Eina looked back at her file.

" _That's what everyone says. And I'm not buying._ " Six shrugged.

"Well you should." Eina still kept staring at her file on her lap. "Are you sure you're 39? You're probably faking your file now, and I won't like that."

" _I'm not._ " Six denied with a weak laugh. " _I don't know how to prove it to you, but I can assure you, I'm not_ lying."

"I mean, the only way I can confirm it is if you have a Falna. Though you're not in a Familia right now, I can't really.." Eina then shook her head. "Anyway, we're getting off-track! Let's get back to business."

" _Sure. Let's._ "

"Okay. As we were talking about, you should really try and find yourself a Familia to join. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend you to explore down into the Dungeon. Let alone step foot in it." Eina explained. "You do know what a Falna is, right?"

Six nodded. " _Of course I do._ "

"And since you do, you should also know that not having a Deity's blessing would be dangerous for an Adventurer such as you. Right?"

" _That doesn't stop me from heading down in the Dungeon though. If it's dangerous, it should be fine._ " Six stated.

"This is no joking matter, I'm seriously not recommending you to head down into the Dungeon and explore without my consent!" Eina yelled a bit angrily if considered.

Six raised his hands defensively. " _Okay, fine. I won't. I haven't even planned on heading down there anytime soon._ "

"Good. Because remember this: Adventurers shouldn't be adventurous!"

" _Adventurers shouldn't be adventurous..._ " Six muttered to himself. " _Be careful about heading down there. I get it._ "

"Do you get it?"

" _Yes I do._ "

"Are you sure?" Eina repeated.

" _Positive._ "

"Do you understand?"

" _Crystal._ "

...

"That's good." Eina smiled approvingly. Her dead serious demeanor has dissipated away. "Now, shall we move on to orienting you about the Dungeon?"

" _Why_ _not._ "

* * *

"Six-kun, are you following?"

" _Yes._ "

He didn't know how long he'd been talking with Eina, but he learned a lot. Misha wasn't joking when she told him about her head aching sessions about the basics and advanced lessons about the Dungeon. Though with Six, he took almost all of it with ease. His Pip-Boy recorded Eina's lessons word per word. Even though he had a Pip-Boy to check over from time to time, he understood what Eina explained with ease.

From the Dungeon resetting every midnight, to having its monsters drop rare loot. Well, unless you have a very defining _Luck_ stat. She explained to him the monsters residing in the Upper Floors. It was easy to get familiar with since some of them are already existing in his world. Kobolds were similar to the mutated dogs in the Mojave. Goblins were tiny _Super Mutants_ , while the Orcs were comparable to regular _Super Muties_. The Lizards and Frog Shooters are comparable to _Geckos_. Then the Killer Ants are basically the _Giant Ants_ seen in Dry Lakes. Here's hoping there's no fire-breathing Killer Ant down in the Dungeon.

Right now, they were nearing the end of hopefully the last lesson for the day. The last lesson was about reviewing the standard SOP procedures about basic Dungeon diving.

"So to finish, give me a do and don't when Dungeon diving," Eina instructed.

" _Do: Make sure a monster is truly dead by removing it's magic stone. Don't: Never bring a monster to the surface without a permit and notice from the Guild._ " Six answered.

Eina smiled. Content with Six's answer. "Alright then."

" _So.. is that all?_ " Six asked as Eina jotted down on her pad.

"Yes, that about wraps up our session for today." She answered, sparing him a glance while still writing down on her notebook. "I'm only assessing how far you can be familiar to hostile environments without encountering said hostile environment yet."

" _Do you have a comment in the matter?_ " Six didn't doubt himself when it came to this. This is basically what someone can learn and do back in the wasteland.

Eina stopped writing for a moment and looked at Six. "I certainly think you are very capable of handling yourself when it comes to situations like these. I have no doubt for you when you will begin venturing down into the Dungeon. Though actions speak louder than words, I'd prefer to see results rather than you boasting that you did all the work."

Six hummed and nodded in agreement. Eina had a point. He may look intimidating, but that can only get him so far.

Then he realized something.

" _Wait, do you have a certain image of me, Eina-san?_ " Six asked. Referring to the last part of her statement.

Eina didn't bother looking at him. "Um... d-do you have any questions before we actually end this?"

Six sent her a deadpan expression, even if Eina was too busy and nervous writing down notes. Putting aside playful banter, he remembered he had one thing to prioritize.

" _Do you have a list of Familias, something like an overview of each?_ " Six asked.

Eina looked up from her notepad.

"Oh, I think I do. Let me check." She placed the pad down and rummaged through the stack of files she had brought over. When she found a certain one, her eyes lit up. She grabbed an averagely thick binder and handed it to Six. "Yep, here."

" _Thank you._ " The Courier said as he opened the binder. Revealing a very organized list and overview of current Familias.

He did wonder though. " _Eina-san, when was this last updated?_ "

"We update the roster monthly. So that should have been updated two weeks ago."

" _I see._ "

His eyes went back to the binder on his hands. Scanning the contents, he debated about what he read in his thoughts.

' _The top Familias that everyone can apply for. The Freya Familia. Hm... I doubt the Familia would be good to work with. The Loki Familia, I've already had an overview with you. The Hephaestus Familia, probably. Same goes for Goibniu. But I doubt I can get some decent information from them. Hermes? Hm. His Familia is shady. They're very unpredictable in my opinion. Hmmm... Ganesha? That's... that description is... moving on._ '

He rambled in his mind. Putting Familias he found interesting on a certain list. He went on and on. Wondering sometimes how long he'd been browsing. But he didn't look up from the binder and rather proceeded to flip through and keep on reading. Reacting negatively, humming with interest. Nodding in agreement from time to time.

In the end, he had gathered the results.

' _Out of all these..._

 _I only have one suitable Familia to join?!_ '

The Loki Familia. He concluded.

They had everything he needed. Teamwork. Strength. Knowledge. And a decent Deity. Loki. Despite her perverseness, it is noted that she is very smart and cunning. Very remarkable like Hermes himself.

' _So that's it? Really?_ '

He sighed. Finally looking up from the binder.

He looked over to Eina. Who was just reading her notes. " _Eina-san, how long have I been reading?_ "

"Oh? Um.." She pulled out a pocket watch. Which surprised Six for a slight bit. "I'm certain 10 minutes have passed."

' _10 FUCKING MINUTES?!_ '

He wondered for a second. Why was he getting worked up about how fast he skimmed through the binder? Shouldn't he be happy?

Six shook his head. Sighing a bit.

"You okay, Six-kun?" Eina asked the Courier. The man looking right back at her.

Six exhaled. " _Hopefully._ "

"You seem... dreaded."

" _Well, that is true._ " Six closed the binder and reached it back towards Eina. " _Here, I'm done._ "

"Oh. I see." Eina grabbed the binder from him and placed it back on the table. "So... are you going to send an application to one of the Familias you've read about?"

".. _I might. Might not. I'm not really sure yet._ " He said with uncertainty. ' _Because there's already one that keeps biting at the back of my mind._ '

"Okay. I understand. Though, do make sure to get in the one you want. With what you have, you definitely can enter any range of Familias present in that list." Eina commented. It did lighten Six's mood, knowing there's a large chance that the Loki Familia could take them in.

"Worst case scenario is you getting denied by one of them."

...

" _..I see._ "

Yup. That didn't dishearten the Courier at all. Nope. Sure didn't.

"So, will that be all?" Eina straightened her back. Ready to stand.

" _Um. Yes._ " Six nodded. Considering this meeting done. He reached for his helmet and began strapping it back on.

"If so, then let's meet again soon." Eina gathered her files as Six went on and helped her up. "Oh, thank you!"

Six ignored it and continued helping her with the files. ' _Should at least make her job easier._ '

They made their way to the door, with both of them hefting up delicate files that Eina needs to submit and archive.

Before Six opened the door, Eina began speaking. "Remember. I wouldn't recommend you heading into the Dungeon without a God's Falna. Though with your gear... we could negotiate."

" _What is this? A barter?_ " Six joked. Making his distorted voice a little less threatening.

Eina chuckled. As the two of them finally exited the room. They made their way back to the counter. Helping Eina carry the files she had brought.

"Anyway, I'll see you soon, Six-kun." The half-elf said, preparing to carry the stack of objects she had brought.

" _You too, Eina-san._ " Six nodded and turned tail. Leaving the Pantheon and entering the outside world once again.

He saw the sky. It was glowing with an orange hue. How long had he been in there?

He lifted his Pip-Boy to eye level.

' _Exactly 4'o clock in the afternoon._ ' Huh. Those lessons must've been long. Even if Six took them in with ease.

He looked around, the street filled with life as people of all sorts were walking past him. All of them with a purpose and a destination.

So what was Six's destination going to be?

He moaned a bit in pain all of a sudden. Luckily not attracting any attention to himself.

' _Shit. That must be me overworking myself last night._ ' He remembered. As his body ached while he thought so. ' _I didn't even get to sleep at all last night._ '

Huh. It wouldn't hurt to take a few Z's, would it?

With that, he headed home. To the couch.

* * *

' _!_ ' He jolted from the couch. His vision going clear. He looked around. He was still in his room. Not wherever his nightmare sent him.

Nightmare...

' _What the hell was that?_ ' Was what he thought.

He dreamt of himself back at his birth home. The same one he had dreamt of the first time he came into this world. The same setting like last time. His home. Burnt to a crisp. Except it wasn't skeletons like last time.

Fresh corpses.

Yet, even if there were bodies, he never saw their faces.

It was etched out.

Probably forced into forgetting.

That or he completely forgot about it.

But there was one thing he knew about that dream.

It always told him that he was alone.

Despite having friends, companions. He didn't have anything like them. Nothing remotely close to it.

And yet, he accepted that hard fact.

Because it is what it is.

Life is an amazing ride that can lead you to everywhere.

To Six? It lead him nowhere good.

The Courier sat from his position. Groggily wiping his face with his hands. Trying to itch out dirt in his eyes. He blinked. Twice. Then he looked at the table before him. His vision becoming more definite. But that wasn't his focus.

He could see the broken and worn out armor he had wore the night before. And the past week. It wasn't in pieces, but the damage can be seen. Even in the dark.

He looked around himself. The room void of any light. He remembered turning them off before he tried going to sleep. The only light source in his room is that one yellow source of light just outside the backdoor. Lighting up portions of his room.

Six sighed. ' _Goddammit._ '

He brought his Pip-Boy into view. Checking the time.

' _11:43?_ ' It was still early?

He lowered his wrist. There must be something he could do to pass the time. Going back to sleep is out of the question. What about fixing up his Power Armor? Nah, he decided he would try using the old method of wearing Power Armor. One that needed _Power Armor Training_ rather than a simple frame which would structurally weaken Power Armor.

Training? No. It'll wake up the children and Maria upstairs.

He exhaled deeply. What the hell was he going to do?

Then he remembered.

Looking at his overcoat, his hand sped towards one pocket. Pulling it out, the small black plate was still intact. He held a finger on the button, but he didn't attempt to press it yet.

He wondered. ' _What if she's asleep? What if she didn't respond? Is this a one-time thing? Oh God._ '

In his mind, he sounds like a high school teenager who's anxious about meeting his crush.

He laid back down on the couch. His head on the sofa. Looking at the object in his hands, he held it up. But still visible to the eye. He inspected the object all around. It is what he still saw it as. A small black plate with symbols and characters he could not understand. There was a small button just on the side. His thumb idly on top.

...

He couldn't take the silence. The waiting. He sighed. He should just try it. Worst case is that Aina wouldn't be able to visit him.

But that thought didn't linger. He just needed someone to talk to.

And Aina made herself available that she could.

Closing his eyes, he finally pressed his thumb down on the button.

He couldn't see it, but the plate began to light the symbols in a blue hue. A small sound hummed out of it.

But in the darkness of Six's eyes, his vision was then injected in bright light.

The next, he was overtaken by white.

* * *

He stood. Somehow. He stood. He looked around him, nothing else. Just a plane of white and nothing else in sight. He looked down, seeing his hands were in complete control. Forming a fist, he could feel his bones and muscles harden. He looked at his legs, he lifted one up and still saw control over it.

He could hear his small breathing. Looking around, he was still in a white plane. Was this a lucid dream?

' _No._ ' He answered himself. ' _I can't materialize a pistol in my hand._ '

He twitched his fingers. Nothing.

' _So what is this place?_ ' He thought, looking up. And again, still seeing white all around. Thankfully, it wasn't really bright. Or else he'd need to switch his eyes for implants.

Then he heard humming behind him.

Twisting his neck, he saw a blue pillar of light appear. Humming a sound while seemingly materializing a white silhouette of a person. Slowly, the figure gained shape and the white faded into forming colors. Colors that formed up the person. Or girl. She wore a grey tank top. Then she had shorts similar to the time they slept together. Except this one was longer than the other. She was barefooted as well. Same as Six.

Then came her face.

She smiled. Her emerald eyes and hair came into view. Said hair looked a bit rough, then her ears. It wasn't normal, it was elven of nature.

The girl was still in a frozen state, until the blue glow left her. To which she looked like she gained consciousness. Her smile turned into surprise. She looked at her hands and herself. Before noticing the Courier in front of her.

While the Courier the whole time was frozen.

He silently gasped. His eyes trained at her.

The girl still with surprise, stared back at Six. She made a sound. Then her mouth moved to speak.

"Six?"

...

Said person finally gasped. A smile formed on his features. One that looked like he couldn't believe it. The girl took a slight step forward. A hand reaching out to the person a distance away.

"Is that you–?"

She couldn't complete her sentence when Six dashed to her in a blink of an eye and gave her a bear-crushing hug.

The girl squeaked in surprise. Almost losing her footing when the weight of Six came upon her figure.

She could hear the person on her breath lightly. And she swore, but was the man before her whimpering?

His hold on her tightened. And with it, he finally spoke a word ever since he woke up.

" _Aina.._ "

The girl he hugged gasped in surprise.

And he didn't see it, but the high-elf smiled. Wrapping her arms around him in response and held him tight.

He heard a cute giggle just beside him. "Yes, it's me."

That only made the Courier smile. Letting out a sigh of relief. Before laughing weakly.

"Miss me?" She asked teasingly.

" _Yeah. I do._ " Was all he replied.

Then they released their embrace. Finally, both looked at each other. The Courier smiled, genuinely and tiredly. While Aina smiled sweetly. Chuckling weakly.

The Courier felt hands on his cheeks. Soft and warm. He didn't grasp back, but instead, looked at the girl who held him delicately.

"So. How are you?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Cliffhanger!**

 **So that's Chapter 5 - Part 1. Part 2 will come next sometime this weekend or so. Just have to fix and add some new parts. I'll admit, I contemplated on adding Six and Aina's dialogue here. But the chapter is long enough already. So I should just move it to the next.  
**

 **Hopefully the other chapters can be done in writing as well, so y'all don't have to wait too much. School is right around the corner. Here's hoping it won't intrude with my fanfiction life.**

 **I do apologize if Eina and Six's interaction was quite.. bland. For me it was. I couldn't really find anything that Six could do with Eina uniquely, so I just made him pretend his connections with her mother was nonexistent and that he was just meeting her for the first time.**

 **Moving on, the next parts are just me clarifying about stuff. If you're not interested, you may click out of this chapter right now.**

 **See ya on the next one guys.**

* * *

 **Anyway..**

 **If you wanna know, I already finished writing a somewhat major arc where Six goes psycho in the Business District. So that sounds fun.**

 **Clarification 1: I realized that Prum is just a pronunciation of Pallum. So since I can't take back what I wrote:**

 **\- The Pallum is the male midget.**

 **\- The Prum is the female midget.**

 **Get it? Now, next!**

 **Clarification 2: The explanation for the bottlecaps are already up there in the chapter. But if you want me to explain further...**

 **If a laser pistol can't withstand getting used in battle, but placing the item on the ground and launching mini-nukes on it then still withstand that, yes. Same goes for bottlecaps. And if so, bottlecaps are as durable as an item with Durandal property, possibly even more.**


	6. Mean New World, Part 2

**Author's Notes: A little happy birthday gift for myself, presenting you guys this chapter.  
**

 **I'm gonna try putting review replies down below so that you can get straight into the chapter with less interference. If you're used to my previous style, just holler with a review or PM.**

 **Anyway, before I begin, I forgot to add this certain part to the previous chapter. Though I already declared that said chapter was long enough as it is. And so here. A scene involving Eina and her new thoughts.**

 **Hope you stick around!**

* * *

 **6 - Mean _New_ World, Part 2**

It was 11 in the evening. And still, the Guild wasn't closed yet.

New members can ask to stay for the night in the Guild. It was common among the newbies. In fact, some were already sleeping soundly in the Guild's personal lounge. Others did have places of their own to sleep in, and with it, they would've left the Guild by now and went home.

Others who didn't need to sleep can sometimes insist on staying up late to continue their work. Such was that for Eina Tulle. A 19-year-old half-elf who was on the table. Running the last of the required files that her superior needs. She insisted on staying up late, seeing as how she realized she won't become sleepy sometime soon.

Her spot had been crowded with stacks of folders, clipboards, and notebooks. Most of them were already stacked in an orderly manner. Right now, there was one file she needed to review right before she can take a break or call it off.

Running the numbers in her head, she tapped the table with a dry quill. Mentally talking to herself and wondering from time to time if she were correct or not.

Just as she was about to scrunch up her face in irritation, a metaphorical magic stone light bulb lit above her head. Realizing the answer, she gently jotted down the result onto the paper. With proper penmanship and wording, the last file in front of her was finally done.

With a heavy sigh, she put the paper on top of the stack. Closing the folder and making sure there wasn't any extra mess right near her.

'I just had to insist on working on the extra files.' Eina rubbed her face in annoyance. Now regretting her decision to stay and help. She sent a glance towards the stack of files. Realizing that she had her own personal documents to review over. Sighing once more, she began to stand. Where was Misha when you needed her?

'I should get this to Rehmer. Do it sooner than later so I won't have to put up with the additional workload.' She decided. Beginning to carry the fairly sized stack of files and going to where her superior was at.

Leaving behind only a single folder on the table. Labeled: _Courier Six_.

...

Returning with tea on her hands, she sat back down again on her previous spot and held the folder up to eye level. She sipped at her tea while scanning the front page.

"Courier Six. What a weird name." Eina mumbled. Seriously, did he forget his name or something? Is that why he stuck with an alias?

Setting down the mug, she opened the file. On it are fastened forms and papers. There were some notes underneath, though it wasn't properly developed yet. She should get on that soon. In fact, she might as well do it right now.

"But before that.." Her eyes went to the basic information of Six.

 _Name: Courier Six_

 _Age: 39_

 _Race: Human_

 _Alias: N/A_

 _Registered to a Familia?: No_

She reminisced her lengthy session with said person.

The half-elf chuckled lightly. 'I'm surprised he survived the first period.. no, scratch that. He took that with ease.'

She remembered how he followed through the lessons Eina taught him. He wasn't just mindlessly nodding or getting bored, she can feel the listening intent the Courier had. Not only that, he asked questions that weren't common to those she was advising and even asked to stop for a second just so he could get a recap on what they had just talked about.

And when their meeting ended, she was a bit disappointed. Because it felt fun to actually teach a person who wanted to learn about what she had to teach. Despite the annoying personality that person has.

Yes, she's very irritated about Six's manners. Going on and on about 'being able to handle himself' and such.

Yet as he kept repeating that, she really couldn't help but slowly believe him.

'Those questions he asked... I don't think I'll hear them from any other adventurer.' Eina remarked.

 _Can magic stones be used in weapon customization?_

 _What's the limit of Valis the Guild can trade with?_

 _Are there any reports or books or any research theories that talks about disabling monster spawns within one area of the Floor?_

 _Are there any written methods about easily grinding monsters?_

 _Is it possible for someone with breakneck agility to just speed through Dungeon Floors?_

She can go on and on about his questions. What made him ask them? He sounded like someone who has fought for so long, that any challenge of the sort is basically a walk in the park for him. So instead of worrying about himself, he wanted to experiment around so he could enhance Dungeon grinding efficiency.

While the thought of that ambition is insane, she reminded herself that while Six did ask very complex questions, he didn't ask _too much_ that even Eina couldn't bear with. In fact, putting aside her worrying features, it was a bit fun theorizing with him. Even if he hasn't explored the Dungeon.

'Courier Six, hm? You might as well be a teacher in the Education District.' She giggled to herself. Taking another sip from her tea.

"Oh! Is that a new adventurer under your tutelage?" A voice shook her out of her own world. Eina looked towards the speaker, seeing pink hair and pink eyes by a bookshelf.

"Misha? Aren't you supposed to be home by now?" Eina asked.

"I could ask the same thing about you. But Rehmer asked me to compile _some_ quests that could be used for leftovers and stuff." Misha explained. "Anyway, who're you reading about?"

"Don't you remember? You were even the one who came to me saying he chose me as an advisor!" Eina replied.

"Ohh! So it's Courier Six!" Misha finally remembered. "I wanna hear your thoughts on him!"

"Well.. I'll admit. He's very smart." Eina brushed some of her hair out of the way.

"Oh, what gives?"

"He asked me these questions that sounds like an insane person would say."

"Like?"

"He asked me if letting a monster eat another monster. And said monster who was enhanced by that gets eaten by another. And so on and so on, what would be the price of the magic stone and what the loot could be?"

"..wha?"

"He even did numbers on it!" Eina exclaimed. Pulling out a single paper from the folder, handing it to Misha who took it.

"What the, he thought it's worth 357 grand?"

"I know right? I told him it's likely not. Since we'll likely compare it to a different monster level and use that as a base."

"But still, imagine! We could issue a quest like that and get results!"

"Hoh? I didn't think Misha would get intrigued by numbers!" Eina teased.

"Hey, I'm only curious because this sounds interesting!" The other retorted.

"Yeah! I almost lost my composure when we debated on it!"

"Hey," A new voice entered the conversation. Revealing it to be a red-haired werewolf. Holding a mug of her own tea in her hands. "what's the commotion about?"

"Oh, Rose! You hear about Courier Six?" Misha asked.

Then the werewolf's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, the guy who wears that green combat armor with the mask?"

"Yup!"

"Huh. I guess those suspects were right."

"Huh?" Both girls wondered what their co-worker was saying.

Rose only sighed. "You remember those idiots that we busted yesterday morning, right?"

"You mean, those arrested for being in the Black Market?" Eina asked.

"Yeah. Most of the Cronos Familia squad leaders and Cronos himself keep saying the same thing: A green combat armored man with a red-eyed mask confronted them alone."

...

"...pardon me?" Eina managed to croak out.

"Also, what's that paper you're holding Misha?" The werewolf swiped said piece of paper from the pink-haired girl. Reading it's contents right after.

Rose's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Who wrote this in the ancient letters?"

...

"...excuse me?" Misha asked.

* * *

The Courier felt hands on his cheeks. Soft and warm. He didn't grasp back, but instead, looked at the girl who held him delicately.

"So. How are you?"

Six scoffed. Smiling negatively. " _Oh. I dunno. Good, bad? Shit?_ "

Aina chuckled softly. Her hold on him still there. "There you are again. Brooding. Like last time."

" _Pf. Like you've known me for ages._ "

"Hm, I wish I had."

Six sighed. Letting out a heaving breath. He finally raised his hands and clasped Aina's.

Though he didn't expect the girl to press his forehead against hers.

While also noticing the high-elf, frowning slightly.

Six smiled weakly. Knowing what it was. " _So. I guess you missed me too._ "

Aina raised her head and met his eyes. Seeing a comforting smile rather than a disappointed one. She realized she was frowning. Squeaking in surprise, Six chuckled. He brushed some hair that was covering her eyes.

" _You sure you're okay?_ " He asked.

She didn't answer the question.

"I did miss you."

Aina let go of her hands on Six's cheeks. Then she brought her face to his chest.

In this mindscape, they try and replicate a person's anatomy and appearance to the bone. Body structure. Scars. Proportions. Aging cells. Sounds of the body.

So when Aina pressed her ear to his chest, she could hear Six's faint and calm heartbeat.

It was rhythmical. Made her comfortable.

As the girl did this, Six was slowly forgetting his dreaded state earlier. Making him even wonder how he felt horrible in his earlier state.

' _How?_ ' He pondered. This girl's presence alone made him feel at bliss. Normal. Nothing right now made him be wary and on his guard. Even if he was reassured that he is currently in a safe state, Six knew better than to succumb to that tranquil atmosphere and let go of himself.

But when this girl appeared, none of that mattered.

' _Do I trust her that much?_ '

He had never contemplated anything bad about Aina.

Though, he realized. That might be the best part.

Aina is so kind, he didn't bother doubting her. Rather, he chose to trust her like how he trusted his companions.

Except, his trust with her was beyond that.

Six scoffed a little. His hands caressing Aina's hair gently. His hold on her weakly tightening.

He didn't want this feeling to go. Peace. Tranquil. It's what anyone in the wasteland would ask for. Raider or not. Legion or NCR. Brotherhood or Remnant.

Even then, as everyone would wish for something like that to happen to them, how would one deserve this?

Heh. Six thought about it, he was _too_ lucky to deserve this.

" _Aina?_ "

"Yes..?"

Six asked, the girl acknowledging. Though didn't try looking at him.

" _Do you think.. I deserve this affection?_ " He asked.

"What makes you say that?" Aina instead closed her eyes.

" _A violent, war-torn guy like me. Doing nothing but going against morals. Using.. illegal substances. Casually making love with a stranger. Killing and stealing._ "

He tightened his hold on Aina. Scared that she'll separate.

" _How. How would a person like me deserve something like this?_ "

Aina didn't answer. But all that was heard right after was their breathing.

...

"..really, Six?"

Said person raised his eyebrows in confusion. " _Hm?_ "

Aina didn't move from her position. Rather, she smiled.

"You told me that you know who you are. So why are you making excuses that you don't deserve this?"

" _!_ "

"Or maybe... you are trying to avoid this feeling. Happiness."

Six looked down to the girl, who replied by tightening her hold on the Courier.

She looked up to his eyes. "Stop thinking that you don't deserve it. Sometimes a man as complicated as you need some form of happiness."

" _Aina, I've killed and had se_ _—_ "

"Shush, that doesn't matter right now." She interrupted him. Gaining a surprised look from the Courier. "What does is you being happy. Because for someone like you, this feeling won't last long and probably won't come back anytime."

...

Six smiled. Both sadly and happily. He swore, he could cry at this rate.

Aina's hands returned to Six's face. A bright and comforting one featured on her face.

"So next time this opportunity happens with a person you like, don't let it go. Okay?"

Six couldn't believe it. As all those words had hit him hard. Every one of it, making sense and providing meaning to those questions. His view on morality and life, gaining some positive form in that dark abyss inside the shroud of his heart.

He wasn't lying when he thought he could cry at any moment.

But he didn't do that. Instead, he let his head fall to Aina's shoulders. His face buried in as he weakly sniffled. As Aina saw this, she did nothing but smile and comfort him.

In the midst of that moment, Aina heard something muffled from her shoulder.

" _You mean a lot to me Aina. Please don't leave me._ "

The girl when she understood, simply giggled.

"Of course I won't. Six."

* * *

"Anything new happen?" Aina asked. Currently sitting on the surface of the white plane. Six mirroring her though posed differently.

" _I uh.. met your daughter, Eina._ " Six answered.

"Oh? How did it go?" She asked, curiosity was on her mind. Wanting to know what the Courier thought of her daughter.

" _She's... very professional. I'm pretty sure she has a good life going with her._ "

That answer made the high-elf laugh lightly.

"Even the traits of my family were carried onto her," Aina said amused.

" _She didn't let down on her level when she quizzed me. Told me that I had to perfect it or else we would've started over._ " Six added.

"Hee hee, how many times did you fail?"

" _None._ " Six smirked. " _Perfect in one try. Pretty easy, well, easy for me so to speak._ "

"Now, now. Just because you're better doesn't mean—"

" _I'm not stroking my ego, Aina. Calm down._ " Six said with a lighthearted laugh. Knowing that she would say something along the lines of that.

Aina herself chuckled. Enjoying this playful exchange so far.

" _So yeah. Met your daughter and.._ " Six's faces softened. A memory resurfacing. " _Ah yeah, I also saw your high-elf friend._ "

"R-Riveria?" Aina's expression changed and so did her tone. Wanting to be sure that he wasn't joking.

" _Yeah. You were right about her... motherly aura. I witnessed that personally._ " Six answered.

"Oh? What happened?"

" _Eh. Some guy badmouthed a teenage adventurer. I wanted to kick that guy's ass back then, but they had at it before I did._ "

Remembering that moment. He was surely in a sour mood right then. Badmouthing an adventurer that's no older than 14?

' _I get it, it's a tough job. Meant for the strong, not the weak. I also get that you were drunk. That of which, made shit worse._ ' Six's hand scrunched into a fist. His expression hardening. ' _But don't tell me that that asshole hasn't experienced some form of pain and moment of weakness back in his young days._ '

Six heaved a tired and heavy sigh. ' _Then again. I shouldn't interfere too deep anyway. Makes me look like some tough main character that's pretty annoying._ '

"Oi."

A single voice shook Six out of his thoughts. His eyes wandered to Aina. Who had a firm expression on her.

" _Um... what did I do_ — _?_ "

"You're brooding again. Calm down." She interrupted. The girl scooted closer to the Courier. Making her way to his side. Her hands grabbed his shoulders, and squeezed it. "Six. Breath."

" _Wh_ — _, why_ _—_ "

"Breath." Aina repeated. Six didn't say anything. Until he finally breathed in. Inhaling air. And breathed out, exhaling.

"Now. Do you feel better?" She asked.

Six stared at her.

Before his head fell to his knee. A smile appearing on his features.

" _Thank you._ " Six said.

It made Aina smile and lose her firm grip. With a giggle, she spoke. "Anytime."

The Courier's head rose back up and his eyes met hers once more.

"So. Can we talk again?"

" _Aren't we doing that now?_ "

Aina just sighed disappointingly.

" _Okay, okay._ " Six raised his hands. " _You want to know what's up with Riveria,_ right?"

The high-elf looked at him. Her head nodding.

" _Too bad. Only saw her and that's it._ " Six chuckled.

Aina stared at him as if he were joking. Then as Six laughed weakly, she slugged him weakly on his shoulder. Eliciting a weak sound of pain from him.

"Here I thought you formally met her." Aina pouted.

" _I wish. I didn't know how to approach her without looking that intruding._ " Six replied as he massaged his shoulder.

"What are you, a teenage shut-in?" Aina retorted. Six answered with a light laugh.

" _Um.. what else._ " Six muttered. Trying to recount stuff that happened the past days.

Then that matter of the Black Market came.

" _Oh. Uh._ " Six began, looking unsure.

"What's wrong?" Aina asked with concern.

" _Ugh..._ "

The Courier right now was unsure. Very unsure. While Aina waited and anticipated what sort of mess he could be in right now.

Then he answered.

" _What would you say if I said that I might've taken down the entire Black Market district in Orario?_ " He answered honestly.

...

The silence was discomforting the Courier. Because his _Perception_ can't get a read on Aina's expression right now.

All of a sudden, the high-elf laughed.

Which took the Courier by surprise.

Aina laughed. Her voice sounded golden. It was a pleasure to hear for Six, at the same time, it confused and scared him. Well, more so on the confusion part.

She continued to let out her giggles, while Six was confused with what she's going for right now.

"Oh, Six." She began as if the line came from some sitcom. "Should I be really surprised that you might pull off something like this?"

" _W-what?_ " Six stuttered. On the verge of getting confused and worried for the sake of Aina.

The high-elf elaborated. "I mean, you said that you handled those Rakian soldiers back in the village. Right?"

The Courier can remember that. Where his palm easily pierced through metal armor. He can only imagine what he could accomplish with a bottlecap-reinforced Deathclaw Gauntlet. Let alone Rawr's Fist of the North.

Six nodded. Allowing Aina to continue. "So.. yes. I do not know how to react properly to this. I can only laugh at how I guessed this could happen."

The Courier, on the other hand, was surprised. It never seemed to end. With a raised eyebrow, he asked. " _You're not mad? Worried that I did something pretty rash for someone so careful as I am?_ "

The green-haired girl giggled cutely in response. "I am a bit worried, but I do know how capable you are of taking care of yourself."

Her hands met his cheeks again. Putting his attention solely on her. "You looked accomplished when you talked about this Black Market raid. I would love to see more of that."

Six silently gasped. Her words having meaning. It made the Courier smile genuinely once more, as he pushed his forehead to hers once again.

"I'm really happy that a war-hungry person like you is getting better from your previous experience." Aina muttered.

" _Okay. That's that._ " Six disconnected with Aina. Leading the girl to chuckle.

For the rest of that meeting, they continued talking. Aina telling Six that the village had changed a lot just as he left. When he asked why, it was all because of his deed. The Rakian soldiers returned the money they extorted from the masses, which got the village booming with different businesses. And with it, made the village self-sufficient. It made Six feel good for a little bit. Good to know his actions still have an effect on what he does. Or else he'd feel his touch is fading away.

But the duo didn't stop talking about what happened to them the past days, they bantered playfully. Going off-topic, it made their conversations all the more fun. They both exchanged their own stories once more, just like that time they were drinking cocoa in the middle of the night.

As they kept at it, Six had remembered a thought he had a while ago. So without pause, he asked.

" _Aina, is the thing you gave me a one-time use?_ " He asked, referring to the black plate.

"Ah yes, the Plane Sleek." She remembered.

" _Plane... Sleek? What kinda name is that?_ "

"I don't really know, a team of experimenting elves made it. Some kind of magical bunker in case the king or queen were to be under attack and have no means of escaping."

" _Well. That sounds ambitious._ "

"Yep. Guess what happened to them?"

" _They were disavowed._ "

Aina only nodded.

"But we didn't scrap the idea. Instead, we turned it into some form of long-distance communications device. The one I gave you is an early version of the device."

" _Wait, they completed the reinvention?_ "

"I would likely assume they have. Since before I left, they progressed tremendously."

" _Oh._ "

"They had a lot of problems in the early stages. Some had degraded their mental stability, some had accidents with their body. Even some had their magical power changed. But it's not to say they didn't learn anything from it. It's why they gave me a pair of safe versions."

" _Huh._ "

"Going to your question, however, no. The Sleek is not a one-time-use object."

Six raised his eyebrows. Before chuckling to himself. " _Heh, guess all that worrying was for nothing._ "

"Hm? Why? Were you scared that it could've broken as soon as you pressed it?" Aina smirked.

" _Hey, that's on you. You didn't even tell me about it. Just the fact that I can visit you with it._ " Six retorted.

And from there, the two bickered playfully. And at the end, both laughed it off. Like old-time pals.

It was pleasant for both of them.

They both wished it wouldn't end.

Sadly, it has to. As all good things do.

When they calmed down, the plane of white blinked. The color of the landscape darkening as it let out beeps. Resembling an alarm clock of sorts. Both of them looked at their surroundings, wondering what it was. Six was getting confused and worried, while Aina remembered what it was.

"Ah. It's time." She said.

" _Time? For what?_ " Six asked.

"What I mean is, it's times up. The Sleek is going to cut our connection off and we'll be back to the real world." Aina explained to him.

" _Oh. I see._ " He nodded.

Aina giggled. "As much as I would love it for us to continue, I'm afraid we don't have time."

Six only smiled warmly. " _Not to worry. Tonight was... perfect, I don't need to ruin it more by having to stop this._ "

"A little more there Courier, and you're going to make me blush." Aina said, smiling.

" _You say that as if I haven't done that to you._ "

They both laughed lightly. When they calmed themselves down, they stood to their feet. As they did, Aina clenched Six's hands.

"So, do you have time to do this again?" She asked.

" _Want me to send a letter and a postcard?_ " Six joked, making Aina chuckle.

She exhaled, before continuing. "I hope this really helped you Six."

" _I already told you, didn't I? This night is perfect as it is._ " The Courier replied.

"I know it is."

The plane blinked faster.

She placed her hands on his face once more.

"See you Six."

" _You too Aina. Goodnight._ " The Courier smiled. Making the girl's heart flutter.

The high-elf replied by pressing her lips onto his cheek for a second.

When she let go, she giggled in response.

That golden sound was the last that Six heard as white overtook him.

* * *

The whites in his vision began to fade. As the darkness of the room settled back into his eyes. It was a bit difficult to adjust, given how he was in a plane of bright white light. Which if it were anyone else, would probably become blind. But that aside, his vision was settled. Difficulty no longer there.

Blinking twice, he looked around. Yup, he was still in the same room he had slept in. He noticed the dim light of his Pip-Boy right beside him. It drew him in, and his thoughts made him check what time it was.

11:44.

' _Really?_ ' Six thought with surprise. Widening his eyes, making sure he wasn't still in a dream, he checked back at the clock. It was still the same.

A minute had passed here in real-time? While God knows how long he'd been there inside the place?

Actually, throughout his time in that plane, he just now contemplated on why such a thing existed.

In a second or so, those curious thoughts were gone because he felt lazy to think about it right now. His mind is exhausted as it is.

Six realized there was still something in his hand. Looking at it, it was the small plate that he used to get in that dream. It was in the same state as it was when deactivated. His finger was tempted to press down the button on the side once more, but luckily he persevered and decided not to.

' _Lucky that this thing isn't a one-use object._ ' Six thought, a dry smile over his face. He sighed in exhaustion, pocketing the small plate right after.

He was about to lie back down again when his eyes caught over his armor on top of the table. Oh yeah, that.

If he were to look at it again, it would remind him of how weak he was. And thus, making Six dreaded.

Except for this time, that wasn't the case.

The armor in the darkness as the yellow light bounced off of it. Despite it's broken features, it had that shine. One that made him think that there was still something he can do, rather than just give up right here and there. The damage looked inspiring, making Six lighthearted about it.

He remembered that he passed by an alley of blacksmiths somewhere near this area. But there is that one particular shop that's a bit further away than what he thought of.

Maybe he'll visit it.

The thoughts made Six hopeful. With a smile, he lied back down again and went back to sleep. Having no dreams nor a nightmare. Just a pleasant deep sleep.

The one and only Courier Six being 'hopeful', huh?

The world would might as well get thrown into nuclear war.

* * *

Six looked at the door before him. His eyes going from the door and onto the building itself. He could see a chimney puffing out black smoke, and it didn't seem to have signs of stopping anytime. He looked at the sign at the side of the door, he couldn't read what it was, but he could certainly guess this was a blacksmith's workshop. I mean, all the signs were there. Plus, it's just right near the main workshop where he met Hephaestus with Hermes accompanying him.

Like the wastelander Six is, he didn't bother knocking on the door. He simply opened it and saw a smith hammering away on a piece of metal. He didn't bother getting the details. So he passed through the door and closed it behind him. The smith didn't look from her work, but it seemed the person already acknowledged his presence.

"Don't suppose you're here for a chat?" A female voice asked.

" _Repairs. Actually._ " Six replied.

The black-haired smith placed her hammer down and turned from her stool. Looking at the man before her. Six stared back, analyzing her person. She had a black eye patch over her left eye and her chest was wrapped in a band. She only wore that wrap and those long red Japanese skirts that reach up to her ankles. He didn't bother informing himself of far eastern culture, not unless there were Japanese suddenly appearing around the Mojave.

Well.. there was that Shogo Industry guy.

' _He had awesome weapons. Despite how expensive they were._ ' Six mused, a smile forming behind the helmet. He then returned his focus to the smith in front of him, who was just staring at his chest. Or better yet, his armor.

"That's a fine piece of armor right there." The smith complimented.

" _Yeah. This baby can hold a_ _lot._ " Six knocked on his torso, a slight banging sound if someone were closer to his armor. " _Sadly, my gear needs repairs. And if I can't even repair it, that's saying a lot._ "

"Really now?" She smirked.

"[Jury Rigging] _Lady, it may not look like it, but I can fix a sword using a rolling pin._ "

"[SUCCESS] Bullcrap." The smith remarked, before pushing her stool closer to the table the newcomer was just in front of. "Alright, let me see your piece."

Six (somehow) pulled out his overcoat, to which the lady did not bother commenting about. He placed it right on the table, proceeding to then unfasten his Riot Gear. Putting the main torso and pieces of his armor onto the table. He considered adding his trousers that were paired for his Elite Riot Gear set, but he can sew that himself. Finally, he began taking off his helmet. The pressurized air again fizzing out. When it loosened, he pulled it over his head and revealed his face. He placed the helmet on the table, and there, his entire set was shown to the smith. From the armored shin guards up to his LAPD chest plate. Leaving Six in his long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

The smith didn't seem impressed with his gear. Until she held a piece for his shoulder and realized how light it was. She gave it a knock, and with her abilities, she knew how durable and dense it was.

"What's this made from?" She asked with an amazed voice.

" _Wouldn't you like to know?_ " Six chuckled with his regular voice. He went on to pull something out from his side, a pouch. " _So this is just between you and me, but can you use these as a reinforcement shard?_ "

"What's that?" The smith asked when Six then dipped his hand into the pouch. And pulled out a single bottlecap out of it. Making the smith's eyes widen.

" _I know this doesn't seem much, but_ —"

"So you're that guy!" The smith interjected. Standing from the stool with a smile.

" _I'm sorry, what?_ " Six said, very confused.

"Some Guild guy approached my Welfie and handed him some reinforcement shard. They came to me and said that it was bullshittingly overpowered." The smith swiped the cap from Six, and he was too late to realize. "It even had this effect where it leaked this deadly substance. It was pretty subtle, I'd tell you that. Had difficulty identifying it even."

Then the explanation clicked in Six. Realizing what it meant.

" _That means.._ " He pointed a finger at her. " _..you're one of the smiths then? Who knew about this?_ "

"Doy." She extended her hand. "Name's Tsubaki Collbrande. Pleased to meet ya."

Six took it and shook it vigorously. " _Six. Courier Six._ "

"Weird name." Then Tsubaki chuckled. "I like it!"

" _So.._ " Six began. Going straight back to business. " _..you can repair my armor with this, right?_ "

The smith now named Tsubaki eyed his Riot Gear. She held up the torso with two hands and inspected it carefully. After moments of waiting and watching, she lowered the armor and gave her answer.

"Yup. I can put this back into shape," She then held up the bottlecap. "but with this? This thing is more preferable for weapons."

Six knew what she was getting at. The radiation effect it holds, even though it should be nonexistent. He didn't think there was a risk to it, after all, he had gone through Dry Wells and the Long 15 outpost just fine.

" _It's alright. I can make do with it._ "

"You sure? It's not on me if something happens to you." Tsubaki warned.

" _No, I'm fine. How soon can you finish this?_ " Six asked.

"A rush order? Hmm.." She mused. "I can finish in two or three days. But I need down payment."

" _What's your_ _price?_ "

"With the bottlecaps, it's 500,000 Valis." Tsubaki replied.

" _I expected a higher price considering the caps._ " Six commented.

"If it was a custom weapon or armor, I would've charged higher. Besides, it's just the down payment. You'll pay me the other half when you fetch your gear."

Six sighed. " _Yeah, I can make do._ "

The Courier then placed a pouch of Valis down on the table. Jingling as it did. Tsubaki eyed it suspiciously, before grabbing the pouch and inspecting the contents it held. She did see Valis, but she doesn't know if it's the right amount.

"Are you sure this is—"

"[CHARISMA 7] _If I put down a pouch of Valis. That means it's the right amount. I don't put money down without the right price._ " Six just crossed his arms.

Tsubaki hummed positively. A small smile on her face. "[SUCCESS] Alright, fine. I'll believe you. You look like a guy with conviction."

" _Appreciate it._ " Six nodded.

"Also, I can't believe I'm saying this, but.." Tsubaki looked unsure, as Six just waited for her to continue.

" _What is it?_ "

"Can you.. by any chance, take a personal contract with me?" She asked.

" _...what?_ " Six said confused. ' _Contract?_ '

"Contract. As in, an agreement where I become your personal smith and I'll make stuff for you. You'll just be another personal customer of mine and everything goes as usual." Tsubaki explained.

Six paused. Thinking about this decision. " _Hm.. does it cost me?_ "

"No." Tsubaki answered. "It's all for free. The only thing is that you use my products and only mine."

" _Huh. I'll consider it._ " Six said. " _I'll get back to you on that._ "

"Will do." The smith nodded as she began gathering his armor pieces.

" _See ya Tsubaki._ " Six waved goodbye as he walked out the door. He heard her say her goodbyes as well, but he didn't need to look back. Continuing his way home.

And the days went on by. As Six returned to the orphanage and basically never left it. He spent his days mostly assembling and fixing up his stuff. From the set of workbenches he had to set up, up to restoring his Power Armor and trying to see what parts of the satellite probe could he fix. There were only some people that went and visited him, the only ones being Maria and Rye. Though it was mostly separate. Rye secretly visits the Courier and would sometimes join Maria herself down into his room.

They check up on him, come and interact with him. Hell, Maria was surely surprised when Six showed how he fixed up the sink and the bathroom. Christ, the thing that was actually spewing out of the faucet in the bathroom was damn sewage. SEWAGE. Well, not that it mattered. Despite smelling like shit and basically being gross, he's experienced more gross shit than that.

God, when he checked out Fort Daggerpoint one time, he found a room that was covered in flesh. There were faces, body organs, hell, he even saw dead eyeballs in the wall itself.

Jesus Christ that was gross.

Putting that aside, the days went on by. Maria seemed to be getting along with Six, Rye's enjoying his time with the Courier, and everything else seemed to be fine. Sure, he wasn't talking to Aina at some nights, but that was fine.

Then, the day for Monsterphilia came.

* * *

Six yawned right after he walked up the stairs. The sun basking in his tired figure. He squinted and shielded his eyes from the direct sunlight leaking through the windows. Groaning as even the morning heat was telling him to wake the fuck up.

" _Christ... I'm awake.. I'm awake._ " He kept mumbling to himself.

Fortunately, his blurry eyesight saw the dining hall just to his right. So he made his way to it. As he did, he tried to get a sense of where the faucet was. He was squinting and his eyes were half-lid for all that time. As the morning was still taking some getting used to. Usually, he'd be fine and dandy for this kind of shit, but right now, he isn't feeling it for today. He went on into the hall, the voices of kids getting louder. Ignoring the voices and possibly the attention that the kids were giving him. When he got a hold of where the sink was, he walked to where it was. Stepping and stubbing his foot along obstacles that were in his way.

He finally touched the sink, he opened up the faucet and washed up his face. He kept on rubbing his eyes multiple times. There wasn't a mirror however, so he just had to tell himself when his face was clean. When he thought it was enough, he closed the faucet and gave his eyes one last rub. Feeling satisfied, he turned tail to see the kids and Mother Maria eating on the large dining table.

They were eating breakfast that involved mostly sandwiches and bread. In the middle, there were two baskets. There were some spreads that were present on the table, jams, peanut butter, and even cheese. Damn, that made him hungry. After last night, he didn't eat nor drink anything right after. So with this, he could really use a meal right now.

As he walked closer to the table, Maria noticed how awake he was now. "Ah, Six. Glad to see you up here with us."

" _I'm hungry. I only needed food._ " Six answered back. Taking a free plate and stuffing it with five pieces of bread and one sandwich.

"Nonetheless. We appreciate your presence here." Maria said as Six nodded before heading to the end of the table on his own chair.

There wasn't anyone near him, so luckily no one would get to experience his morning grumpiness. Except for Rye, he could probably handle how old, stupid and sad he was. He sat down and reached for a spread. ' _Peanut butter._ '

He grabbed a spare butter knife and spread it across the piece of bread. When it was to his liking, he gave the sandwich a bite. Feeling a bit woke and refreshed from the food. He hummed in delight, right after, he continued eating his simple sandwich. Swallowing the last portion down his throat, he seemed to have finally awakened properly. The fatigue he got from last night seemingly fading away slowly. He didn't know why he was like this, as he hadn't felt like this since then. The closest feeling he had with this was back in Vegas, where a slight accident happened.

Actually, what was ever an accident in the Mojave?

He continued eating alone. The voices of children tuning out as he was left in his own world. Staring blankly at the wall while continuing to munch down his breakfast. Spreading peanut butter on his remaining bread slices absentmindedly. Then eating it again, as if everything he was doing was like procedural and muscle memory.

He would've been stuck like that for the rest of breakfast, had it not been for some curious kids that were sneaking up to him from behind.

When instinct told him that something was coming up from behind him, he sensed that it was the kids. Trying to play around with the Courier's presence. He didn't know if Maria allowed them or was doing nothing about it since she knew how it was around Six now, but it wouldn't hurt to play with some kids. Would it? Even if he wasn't a _Child At Heart_.

"Hee hee, come on Rye.."

"Shush Fina!"

" _Boo._ "

A single voice startled the kids behind him. Six turned his chair around, looking calm and nonchalant about the whole ordeal. As he faced them, the kids stopped in their tracks. The brown-haired boy of the trio looked at awe.

"Wow.." He uttered. "..you knew we were there? Is that how cool adventurers are?"

That made Six snort. " _Rye, you three were still noisy even if I was dozing off._ "

The three orphans laughed nervously and looked a bit embarrassed. Speechless and not knowing what to say.

Six chuckled weakly. Leaning closer to them on his chair. " _Ah, you three. So these are your friends Rye?_ "

"Y-yeah." Rye stuttered, but still smiled.

"My name is Fina." The cream-haired Chienthrope girl stepped up and introduced herself.

" _Lovely meeting you._ " Six nodded as the girl smiled bashfully.

"I'm Roux." The blonde-ish half-elf said, his voice a bit spaced out.

" _I can't tell_ — _are you a guy or a girl?_ " Six asked. The kid's features were surely confusing him.

That somewhat set off Roux. Fumbling with his hand. "U-um.. it's nice meeting you!"

Six saw the disturbance in his eyes, and decided to leave the topic alone for now. " _Right.. sorry about that._ "

Roux walked closer to the Courier, staring at his entire figure. "So you're big bro Six?"

Six raised his eyebrows at that. Quite impressed at the name. " _That's a great name to call me. No one has actually called me that before._ "

"Wow.. you look strong." Roux remarked, his voice still spaced out.

"Six is an adventurer outside of the city! He has some cool stories to tell, don't you?" Rye chimed, looking quite happy about it.

"Huh, do you brother Six?" Fina asked, a bit amazed about the fact. Well, half-fact.

Six looked around, and saw Maria watching them. She seemed to have noticed him looking at her, and so she only sent a nod and a smile towards his way. Approving of him telling them filtered stories about his adventures.

' _I guess a story or two wouldn't hurt._ '

* * *

"Woah! What happened after?" Fina asked.

" _Well. I fought. Even though I had almost nothing with me, a dog and a kid by my side, I fought the monsters._ " Six stated.

"And..?" Rye inched on.

" _Obvious, ain't it? I won. With a bad looking sword and my armor about to fall apart, I fought the dangerous Deathclaws and saved my group from the dangerous place. My dog Rex fought like crazy and the kid even tried to help. Heheh._ " Six smiled.

"Was there treasure?" Roux asked.

" _Oh there was. Awesome armor and a giant sword was left behind, so I took them for myself. Even my people were surprised about the whole situation, they wouldn't believe me that I saved a kid._ " Six chuckled.

"Wow.. that's so cool." Rye muttered. "One day, I'll be as strong as you are, Six!"

Six laughed weakly. He told them a story about the Deathclaw Promontory and his experience there. He was actually running from the common Legion hit squad that they sent after him. And accidentally, he and Rex stumbled upon the Deathclaw nest with a kid somehow taking refuge there. He almost thought he was going to get stuck there and it would've taken Caesar's army to fight through the Deathclaw family housed in that place. But then he decided to screw it, and fight through the nest with nothing but a weapon he was practicing with and the stuff he got from the corpses in that place.

He did have to reword the story to them. Trying to use words that seemed relatable in this time period. Such as replacing guns with swords and not bothering to explain what the Legion does. Rather telling them that he pissed them off because he didn't like them. He did explain what a Deathclaw is, that seemed to have shaken them to their core. But it did hype up his story.

' _Was this how that Storyteller felt?_ ' Six wondered.

He went back and focused on the current situation. The three were talking amongst themselves, he could make out that they were imagining their future selves. Rye was talking about his plans to become an adventurer, but he also added how he could try other interests in life. So Six's words had gotten into his skull after all. Fina was mentioning something about sticking with Mother Maria to the end, which would sound commendable had Six only shared her same perspective in the world. Then Roux was still unsure about his purpose, sounding quite normal for a boy his age.

The four just sat there, as the kids rambled on and on. While Six only watched them and listened to what they had to say. Sometimes taking part of their conversation and adding in words of his own. He only wished that life was as simple as this back in the wasteland. No fighting, no raping, no stealing. He admired the Followers, thinking that they can help rehab the Fiends and bring them back into society. Though, the only issue is if society would accept them back.

But he killed any negative thought he had in mind. For now, he just enjoyed the kids talk with their mighty ass imagination that the Think Tank could probably use them for ideas.

Huh. He should arrange a field trip for the Boomer kids to go to the Big MT.

' _Wait, nevermind. God knows what those idiots can do to them._ ' Six shook his head.

"Hey kids." A voice woke them from their own world. They looked at who it was, Mother Maria. "Why don't you play outside and let Six here have his alone time?"

"Okay!" The kids immediately responded. As they got off their chairs and headed for the inner yard while waving goodbye at Six.

"See you Six!"

"Bye brother Six!"

Six lightly smiled in their direction. And when they disappeared, his stoic and somber expression came back to life. Maria noticed this, and gave her take on it.

"And there he comes, the real Courier Six."

The Courier smiled disappointingly. Mostly at himself but some was directed towards Maria's way. He wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything in mind. So he just shook his head and let out a sigh. Not knowing if it was meant to be sad or tired.

He began to stand from his seat. Gathering his plate and his utensils. " _Can I help clean up?_ "

"You may, of course. The old lady needs her help after all." Six snickered at that. It was obvious that he should help.

Manners. Christ.

Just as he was about to continue stacking up plates, someone young as 18 yelled from the hall.

"Maria-san! I helped with the kids!" A silver-haired girl walked out of the hall that Six entered earlier. She wore that uniform from the Hostess of Fertility. And she had that sweet smile where—

' _Oh._ '

"Oh?" She stopped in her tracks. Staring at the Courier with curious eyes. Six stared back, though his held surprise. Wondering why she was here.

' _Though judging from her previous statement, she must stop by around here sometimes._ ' Six thought. Thinking it was the most reasonable and likely story.

Maria began speaking. "O-oh, Syr-san. I haven't really told you about our new guest."

"Um.. guest?" She asked.

Maria stepped beside Six. A hand gestured towards the silver-haired waitress. "Courier Six. This is Ms. Syr Flova."

Six blinked and lightly shook his head. " _Uh, we've_ — _I've.. uh.._ "

"We've met." The girl completed Six's unfinished sentence.

"Oh, did you now?"

" _Um.. we've met at the Hostess. I uh..._ " Six snickered. " _I yelled at her. Because she was thinking._ "

That leads the girl to giggle. A hand covering her mouth as Maria looked surprised.

" _I'm uh.._ " Six looked at the girl. " _I apologize for that, again._ "

"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have disturbed you." She smiled. "I should introduce myself again, please call me Syr."

" _Courier Six. Or Six for short._ " Six shrugged.

"Well then, Six. Thank you for the tip." Syr smiled.

" _Hm?_ " Six raised an eyebrow.

"You handed me a hundred Valis, remember? I used that to actually buy breakfast for the kids here." Syr explained. Making the Courier remember as he let out a noise of remembrance.

" _Ah. Right. Yeah, you're welcome._ " Six nodded.

"You know what," Maria interrupted as the two looked at her. "why don't you two talk? I'll just head on out and wash these."

Six shifted from his position. " _Oh, no no. I can help_ —"

"It's alright, Six." Maria insisted. Gesturing to where Syr was, who was going on and gathering her baskets. "Go on."

Six would've stubbornly gotten some of the plates from her, though he knew she wouldn't like any of it. If Maria insists, Six should desist.

He let out a sigh, as he saw Maria walking out of the cafeteria before turning to where the waitress was. Busy fixing her stuff. When she noticed Six's eyes on him, she looked back at him and sent another smile his way. Which Six did not care about. Smiling normally was sometimes weird.

Six took a seat in front of him as Syr took the chair opposite of him. Settling her baskets down in front of her.

" _So. You help around here?_ " Six asked.

"Sometimes. I take days off and help Maria-san and play with the kids." Syr answered. As she turned from Six and watched the window. Where she could see the kids playing. Six followed her eyes, seeing the children play as well.

"I knew what it felt like at their age, so I come here every now and then," Syr added. Before looking back at Six. Who raised an eyebrow at her.

" _Why are you openly telling me this?_ " Six asked. Eliciting a gasp from her.

"Oh, goodness! That was so sloppy of me." Syr pretended to look hurt while her voice sounded so convincing. "For a scary stranger that yelled at me, you look very trustworthy!"

" _Heh. That's what people say about me._ " Six scoffed.

"If you come by the Hostess later, maybe I'll forget about you yelling at me and I won't tell Mama Mia about it." Syr then smiled sweetly at him. As if she was baiting him into—

" _Wow. For a highly paid waitress, you stoop to a down low._ " Six deadpanned.

"'Highly paid'? I do not know what you're going on about." Syr said like she really didn't know. Trying to play innocent all over it.

Six shifted in his chair. Preparing his voice as he finished his deduction.

"[PERCEPTION 10+] _The smell and tidiness of your dress suggest you've had a lot of spare time to do laundry recently. That means less time from work and more money gained from work. The orderly fashion your hair is presenting is telling how much you've been in a good mood lately. Then the slight dirt on your fingers looks like markings you'd get from a coin. Coin that's most likely Valis. The wallet hidden on your person looks used and wrinkled too much. Implying that you have much more money than an average person would have and thus allows you to spend anything you'd want for a while. The part where you told me that you used my tip to pay for food means that you either saved up money just so you can purchase breakfast or you buy cheap breakfast. I doubt it's the former and neither is the latter. Which exactly means that you are exactly what I say you are, a highly paid waitress._ "

Six finished and said all of that in a single smooth sentence. Not bothering to pause and breath for a tiny second.

" _Though, that aside. The way you were trying to bait me was pretty bad._ " Six added for an extra burn.

Syr on the other hand, looked flabbergasted.

Which lasted for a second right after she properly took in what Six had just said. She let out a soft giggle. Very entertained by Six's hypothesis.

"Well for one, you are somewhat right." Syr stated. Six didn't visibly react too much.

" _Eh. That likely means I'm exactly correct._ " Six said with a soft smile.

"I'm wondering what other people say when they hear you talk like this." Syr wondered.

" _You'd be surprised._ " Six scoffed. Making Syr chuckle lightly.

"You may have a keen eye Six-san." Syr then narrowed her eyes. Showing a bit of seriousness which would seem very out of character. "That's why I'll give you my own hypothesis about you."

Six raised an eyebrow. " _Oh? Pray tell, what would you find in me?_ "

"Hee hee, you know, helmets speak in volumes."

" _Said no one, ever._ "

"But I do. And that begins with my first thought."

Six was now curious. This girl sounded real serious. That or she's playing games with him.

' _I doubt it._ ' Six thought.

Then she began.

"I know you're not from this place."

That elicited a scoff from Six. " _Pf. Obviously_ _—_ "

"Tutut." Syr raised a finger, stopping Six from speaking any further. "You didn't let me finish."

Six sat and looked at her with intent to listen.

"From what I've seen, what you bring with you is out of this place. I've heard even the Far Eastern people had not developed any sort of object or armor just like yours. And I hear from the foreign people in the Pub that they haven't seen the likes of your possessions anywhere at all."

Six contemplated her words. She's just basing this on what they heard. He can still play the secret kingdom/city act and prove Syr wrong.

"But that's not the reason I've suspected you with something as simple as foreign,"

" _Oh?_ "

"In fact, you're not from this world at all. Are you?"

...

Six, in his mind, was surprised at her bold statement. Though he thought it was just her baiting him into taking it, he did think, maybe it wasn't. Maybe she knew because she has a keen eye of her own.

Which made him ask. " _What makes you say that?_ "

Syr simply giggled again. "I'm glad you said that."

The girl leaned forward in her seat, and with a finger, booped Six on the nose before he even realized it.

"The reason is because of you, silly." She smiled sweetly at him. Right before putting herself back on her seat.

Six opened his mouth lightly. Showing a bit of expression through his face. It was pretty subtle. A subtle way of expressing surprise.

"From your straight and thick accent to your body language, it was all there. I saw that look in your eyes, one that had a look of being lost in a crowd. And the fact that you cannot read any of the words here properly, it made more sense when I thought of it."

Six was quick to wave it off. Shaking his head while chuckling to himself. " _Whatever you're insinuating, I'm not buyin_ _—_ "

"Ah ah ah, there's no point in denying it Six-san. I already see that look. You know I'm right." Syr just smiled at her answer.

Six flatly stared at the girl across from him. Trying to find a way to keep his origins safe (for now). His mind suddenly racked up an idea, and with it, put it to use.

 _"That's a bold statement you have there, Syr."_ He began with a small laugh. " _But do you have actual hard proof to back up your claim?_ "

"I've mentioned some of them already. But if you want, I can elaborate." Syr still kept her smile.

" _Amuse me._ "

"Very well then." She lightly laughed to herself. "For one, that device you have on your wrist."

When her finger pointed towards Six's left wrist, he immediately retracted it and hid it from view. Not wanting Syr to see any more of his Pip-Boy.

"There's no point in hiding it, Six-san. I've seen it already. And I can assume no other place here would have something so... complex as that." Syr said. "Plus, the way you hid that thing, it just reinforces my points a bit further."

" _Not that I'm covering for myself, but it's the fact that I don't think you'd understand what my device does._ "

"Six-san. That is a bad excuse and you know it."

" _Yeah, and I'm trying here._ " He and Syr chuckled weakly. " _Either way, how would you know any other country in this place wouldn't have the same device as I have?_ "

"It's not about hard facts, it's about what makes sense and what doesn't. And right now, I don't think we'd be having something so advanced as yours for a long time." Syr retorted.

" _Still, case in point. That doesn't change the fact that you don't have hard evidence to back up your answer._ "

"Oh? Is that so? Then would you like another example?"

" _Feel free._ "

"Hmm.. let's see. I can go on and on. Though I'm sure you'd deny it like the rest of the others. Such as the armor you wore..."

" _Anyone smart enough to balance defense and agility can make something like mine._ " Six replied.

"...the aura you can display..."

" _The confident ones like me can do exactly_ _that._ "

"...there's even rumors of you going about where you took down some corrupted Familia..."

" _They're rumors. Either they're real or not, and I assure you, they're not._ " Six just kept his arms crossed. " _You're not exactly putting up strong bases and evidences here_ _—_ "

"..oh! But there is one." Syr suddenly spoke with a finger up.

" _Really? What would that be?_ " The Courier asked.

Syr giggled. One that sounded cute and dark. "It's not really evidence. But it's one way of knowing."

" _You're killing me here, Syr. What is it?_ " Six asked impatiently.

"Simple." Syr said as she pulled out a piece of old paper and one pair of an ink blot and quill.

' _What the hell? Do people just carry those around their persons?_ ' Six thought, eyeing the two objects.

"As I've said earlier; I can guess you can't read any of the words here." Syr recalled.

Six kept his expression up, but behind it, he knew he wouldn't get out of this. So he'll just have to drag this on until something else happens.

The Courier just kept silent and waited for Syr to continue. Though he knew the silence he's having right now is making his point worse.

Six shrugged. " _So what, you want me to read a sentence?_ "

"Yes. It's that simple." Syr said as she wrote something on the parchment with her quill and ink. When she was done, she held it up for the Courier to see.

And when Six read it, he had no idea about what it said.

"So, what does it say?" Syr asked with a bit of smug.

Then Six realized something. One that made him grin in his thoughts.

Six reached his hand out. " _May I borrow it?_ "

Unaware of Six's intentions, Syr willingly gave it to him. "Why yes, of course."

As soon as Six held it, he gained a new notification.

 _Syr's Note added._

He put the paper on his lap, hiding it from Syr's view. And with it, he checked his 'Data' and 'Misc' section. He scrolled over to the new file and read it's contents out loud.

" _Six is mysteriously charming._ "

"E-eh?!" Syr stammered. Shocked at how Six read the message with ease, and flushed a bit at how he just read that sentence.

Six on the other hand, squinted at first. Then raised his eyebrows in realization. A small smile and a chuckle following right after.

' _Well. That was unexpected._ ' He thought as he read over the message again.

"You-you read it?! But, how?" Syr asked, shock very audible in her voice. One that doesn't fit the likes of her.

" _That was sweet of you, thanks._ " Six smiled at the waitress, who flushed a bit further when he mentioned it. " _But yeah, I told you. I can understand it._ "

"So.. you weren't lying after all?" Syr asked. Her tone sounding a bit disappointed.

" _No. Duh. I kept telling you, I'm not from another world._ " Six crossed his arms and looked at her bemusingly. Syr however, just lowered her head and huffed to herself disappointingly. Six had to admit, if Syr wasn't putting up an act, he'd pity her right now.

But just a scan over her current mood, Six can sense that she was indeed saddened at her failed guess.

Well, it wasn't a fail. She was almost close to busting him.

' _Actually now that I think about it, if I lie more, it'll complicate things if I forget whatever detail I spout._ ' Six thought, a frown on his face.

He sighed at himself. A decision coming to mind and a choice made.

" _Syr._ " He said unamusingly. The waitress looked up and faced the Courier. " _I am from another world._ "

He weakly laughed at the end. His hand running through his scalp. Syr had to process what he said however, and when she finally got a grasp of it, she gasped.

"W-wait, you are being serious right now?" She asked with the confusion very much there.

Six just nodded and hummed in agreement.

"You're not joking, a-and being one-hundred percent serious. Right?"

" _Totally being honest._ " Six said. " _It may not sound like it, and the fact that I played you earlier.. well this time, I'm not lying._ "

"This is not funny Six-san, are you really telling the truth? I was only.. seventy-four percent sure that you are from a different world."

" _Those odds are high. Yes I am_ _—_ "

"So I guess I'm right then!" She suddenly stood from her seat, joy replacing confused sadness.

" _Yes. That's what I'm trying to say_ _—_ "

"I can't believe I figured it out." Syr gushed to herself. Slowly sitting back down. "So.. you're an alien?"

Six, in his thoughts, laughed at the sight. The recently composed and sly Syr suddenly fawned over the fact that he was an alien like some child.

I mean to be honest, who wouldn't be so surprised about finding out that there is life outside your planet?

The Courier returned to the situation at hand. His mind remembering the question being asked. " _You could say that technically, but I am still human._ "

"Do you call yourself 'humans' back from your home?"

" _Yes. I just said that._ "

"Okay, because it just sounds weird that a human from a different planet still calls themselves human. Even though the chance of them being called differently is highly likely."

" _What, did you expect me to be called a Lobotomite?_ "

Syr giggled at his joke. Her interest and adrenaline from her findings were so high up right now, she wanted to ask everything about Six. How life was on his place, what are the different things there, the culture, the people. Oh, so many possibilities. She couldn't contain them all _—_

" _Syr. Calm down._ " Six said, which shook the girl out of her thoughts. " _You're being so giddy right now, you look more of a kid than an 18-year-old._ "

When she heard that, she forced herself to calm down. Her hand up into her mouth as she coughed. Slowly regaining composure and also shifting in her seat to sit properly. She straightened her form and moved her chair forward a bit. With it, she looked back at the Courier. Stars in her eyes.

She had so many questions, but of course, the most important right now is..

"Can you tell me all about yourself?"

Six's eyes widened slightly.

But then his expression turned from calm to withdrawn. He sighed deeply, as he placed his hands in front of him.

Six leaned forward a bit. " _Do you want me to like, tell you a bit about my life?_ "

Sensing the change of atmosphere, Syr changed her tone and energy. One that befitted the current situation. She answered normally. "Yes."

" _Are you really sure about it? My story ain't for the faint of heart._ " Six asked once more.

When she heard that warning, Syr might have to prepare herself. This might not be as great as she thought it would be.

So the girl huffed and nodded firmly. Her expression stern and ready.

" _Final warning. Are you certain?_ "

The waitress nodded.

" _So be it then._ "

And from there, Six told Syr about his life. From where Benny shot him to the end where he led and won the battle for Hoover Dam as the Independent Vegas. He didn't tell the entirety of it however, he just omitted it. Not in a short and confusing way, just shortened and revised to make the girl understand where he came from.

As he explained his story, Six watched Syr's expressions differ all around. From shock to horror, to sometimes even being amused or solemn. She expressed the exact theme and aura whatever scenario was he talking about right then. Syr didn't ask questions. She just nodded and let out noises, whether agreement, confusion or disagreement, it was there. Six made sure to elaborate on some things _—_ God he had to elaborate a lot _—_ just so Syr won't be lagging behind at his stories.

"... _so yeah, after that, I lead the Newly Independent Vegas. I made laws, handled politics. Economy, the society of the city. Hell, even the Mojave itself. I did some missions myself. I did have some semblance of help, but other than that, I had to negotiate and do a lot of those stuff all by himself. You know, you get the gist._ "

Six paused for a moment. Reflecting slowly on his life choices and actions. " _So yeah, that's my entire story. Well, not the entirety of it though. Just the major parts._ "

When he finished. He expected the girl to be wary and disgusted of him. He wasn't a necessary good guy for God sake. He would kill innocents if he has to. He would work with the bad guys just so he can do the good thing. Six has a fucked-up moral fiber, so it should be expected to not like the man. Right?

Syr however, smiled. She smiled and giggled. Earning a surprised expression from Six.

"Thank you for telling me your story, Six-san." She smiled warmly towards the man. "You know, I'm glad. I'm glad that you were sent here instead of somewhere dangerous and worse than your world."

Six just stared at the girl. Truly, his face held surprise. When Syr said those words, it reminded him of something.. no, _someone_. Someone that he actually met days ago.

Right now, the silver-haired girl in front of him made him remember a certain green-haired elf he had spoken to. Hell, the waitress even said similar words to what Aina actually said. Not to mention that Syr does have resemblance with Aina's facial appearance. If the 18-year old in front of him had bright green hair and eyes, she would exactly look like the nun herself.

Six got out of his trance, and when he processed what Syr said, he smiled. A genuine one too.

That simple expression made Syr happy.

" _You really remind me of a certain friend I met days ago._ " Six said.

"Oh, do I?" Syr tilted her head.

" _She kinda looks like you if her hair wasn't green. And she's kind, really kind._ " Six chuckled. " _I don't know if you're playing with me right now,_ "

"Eh~? That sounds mean, Six-san." Syr pouted.

" _But from what I can tell from you, you mean well._ " Six smiled at the girl.

Syr just returned the expression. "Thank you, Six-san _—_ "

" _Despite how sly you are._ " Six added.

"Oh, is that how it is?"

" _You know it is._ "

"Whatever you're going for Six-san, I don't _—_ "

Six sighed, grinning to himself. " _Here we go again._ "

And from there, the two began to talk to each other like friends. Exchanging stories, interests, hobbies. As they did, they didn't know how long they went at it, but they were certain that their conversations were pretty lengthy and always had one of them getting sidetracked. And despite the very action-y and violent stories Six had, Syr certainly was interested in it. After all, the girl worked in a pub where their customers were adventurers. Of course stories like Six's wouldn't be any different. Yet, because she knew of his alien nature, she learned a lot about the unknown and enjoyed it.

But of course, after God knows how long, it had to stop. When Syr checked on the time, she almost panicked. Saying that she had a festival to attend. Six didn't know about it and asked what it was. Syr was kind enough to elaborate on what it was about; Monsterphilia. Where an event in the colosseum of the city is celebrated. She told him that tamers go ahead and tame wild monsters from the Dungeon. And boy is it both entertaining and gritty.

Six however, thought it was plain stupid. Replying that it was risky to have caged and imprisoned monsters in a civilian-heavy area. Especially when the security for the holding cells are low and the integrity of said cells were at the verge of breaking. Just from one snap of fingers, any one of the cells inside the colosseum would likely break.

Syr on the other hand, just told Six to complain to Ganesha. Earning a witty retort from the Courier.

As Six escorted Syr to the front door of the orphanage, they both spoke to each other one last time.

"Can you by any chance stop by the Hostess tonight? We'll be filled and we'll have certain deals due to the festival." Syr said, advertising her work place.

" _Maybe. I still have a lot to do so, yeah. Maybe I will, maybe I won't._ " Six replied.

"But still, can you go or not?"

" _Probably not._ " Syr booed weakly at Six. " _Again, we'll find out._ "

They both finally reached the front door. The girl turned to the Courier one last time.

"Thank you for talking to me Six-san. Even though we had just met for an hour or so." Syr bowed to the man.

" _Eh, you were close on finding out anyway. If I had to lie, it might come and bite me in the ass in the future._ " Six shrugged.

' _Plus, it'll be inevitable to not show my capabilities. So I might as well prepare for it._ '

"But you just had to play me, mr. Courier." Syr teased. "Doing that to maidens like me is very bad, Six-san."

Six deadpanned at her, yet it remained playful. It made Syr giggle.

After the girl calmed down, she picked up her basket and bowed one last time.

"I'll see you next time, Six-san."

" _You too Syr. Stay safe._ "

The girl nodded, and finally left the orphanage.

As she did, Six turned around and made way to his room.

' _Now then, hopefully nothing much happens today._ '

* * *

" _Hey, Maria?_ " Six asked, buttoning his new polo shirt.

"Yes, Six?"

" _Is this Syr's purse?_ " Six lifted the small object, making Maria see it clearly.

"Oh! It is! Did she leave it?"

" _Guess so. She said she was going to a—_ "

Then Six remembered.

And he grit his teeth in annoyance.

" _Dammit._ " He muttered, before pocketing the wallet and heading out of the cafeteria and the Orphanage. Leaving a baffled Maria behind.

* * *

"Hm.." Syr hummed.

She had just realized she forgot her wallet. Looking at the stall before her, it just made her feel guiltier. She promised the others to bring them a souvenir of sorts. But when she tried to check her money, she found out she left it somewhere.

And that was bad.

Because it was either at the Orphanage or at the Pub.

Which in both cases, was bad because of the large crowd to maneuver through.

'Seriously Syr, this is stupid of you! At the time where you're free from your shift?' She berated herself internally. Leading her to sigh. Well, she has to check. It was her money, and that's pretty important. Without it, she couldn't really do much in the festival other than look around.

'No other choice, it seems.'

As she was about to leave, a voice called out to her.

" _Syr!_ "

"Huh?" Looking to the source, she found an Elite Riot Geared man running to her with a hand waving at her. Said hand held something, though she couldn't see it very clearly due to him waving said arm around.

"Six-san?" She said right as said person stopped before her. He didn't seem to look tired, and he didn't catch his breath. Huh, this man must be very vigorous for him to do that with not much of a problem.

" _Thank God, I found you._ " He said with satisfaction. As he presented his hand forward to her.

Holding her purple wallet.

Syr gasped and was taken aback. She instinctively took a step back in pure surprise.

"You came this way, all to give me this?" She asked. Taking the wallet that Six was handing to her. She was touched, a person she had just made friends with and seemingly acted like long-time pals took time and effort just so he can give it to her in the midst of this large crowd?

The young waitress couldn't help but blush slightly.

"How did you find me in.. this?" She couldn't help but ask.

" _Don't worry too much about it. It was pretty easy thanks to my tracking skills._ " Six answered. Waving off her question.

Syr smiled at him, one that would make any other person's heart flutter. "Well thank you very much, Six-san. It really does mean a lot."

She even grabbed his hands and giggled lightly. Some of the crowd spectated this spectacle. Their reactions mixed. Those who were just passersby found this scene heartwarming and cute. And those who knew Syr _—_ either personally or generally _—_ were jealous. Wishing it was them in Six's place.

Yet as how fluffing this scene would be, Six didn't feel anything in it. Other than being satisfied for doing his job.

So behind his helmet, he was looking at her blankly while ignoring the weak aura that was surrounding them.

" _Yeah. Anyway,_ " Six said as he let go of Syr's hold on him. The girl looking at him expectantly. Wondering what he'll do. " _I gotta get back to work._ "

"W-wait, you're leaving? On a day like this?" Syr voiced her thoughts.

" _Well. I've already been to a festival a week ago. Though it's not as humongous as this._ " Six replied. Gesturing to the whole event they were currently in.

Yet even with that, Syr felt that it was a very pathetic excuse.

She may have officially met him an hour or two ago, and knew a lot about him within a span of their meeting.

Yet, she saw a scar. Two healed holes on his forehead. Explaining that he was shot in the head. Once when he was bound. Another when he was knocked out.

Not only that. The way he made his stories sound like.

It felt like he was nothing but lonely.

Tired and lonely.

"Six." She began, dropping the honorific. Making the Courier put his entire attention at her.

"Be honest, aside from the festival you attended, when was the last time you enjoyed yourself?"

" _Well, I've_ _—_ "

"I don't mean those times where you, ' _had fun_ ' in New Vegas, I meant the time where you genuinely _enjoyed life_?"

...

" _...enjoyed life?_ "

"Something along the lines of reading at your own leisure, doing a simple hobby of yours, stuff like those?"

From what she heard from Six's stories, he was a fighter. A busy one at that. One that did not stop and take a break for just a short moment. Because every second was him doing a certain job. Whether that'd be something like harvesting rare materials for a single person or settling a score with someone he indirectly affected in his early life. Either those or he was so busy managing an entire city of his own that he didn't stop and think to take a breather for one tiny second.

...

She could practically imagine him blinking behind the helmet.

" _Uhh..._ "

She can basically feel the very awkward pause behind the mask.

Okay, that settled it.

"Alrighty, let's go big man." With a sigh, she grabbed his left hand and pulled him away. Dragging him into the festival.

" _H-hey, Syr! What_ _—let me go!_ "

For a 39-year-old, he sure sounded like a child.

"No. We're going to have fun." Syr said in a way that left Six no choice. "A person like you needs a break every one or two times. Let go of your responsibilities. Do what you haven't done in your old world, you know?"

Whatever Syr said, it changed something in Six. Noticing the difference in him, she pulled him beside her.

Looking up to his helmet, she continued. "Seriously, going to work on a festival day? You might as well give up on going home!" She said in a somewhat, serious and playful manner.

" _Syr, I_ _—but I_ _—_ "

"Tutut! No buts!" She silenced him again with a finger. Similar to what she did a while ago. "We are going on a date and you will accompany me! You have to learn how to enjoy yourself like that festival you joined."

Looking at him again, she made contact with his red visors. Hoping to come with a response.

And he did.

" _Okay.. fine._ "

Giggling cutely like she always does, Syr wrapped her arms around Six's right and dragged him to a stall just next to them. Ordering two crepes as Six was just about to object when she already paid.

Then she realized something.

'Wait, I said we were going on a date?'

* * *

' _Why did I allow her to pull me into this?_ ' Six asked himself.

Right after he dashed out of the Orphanage, he made a beeline for Tsubaki's workshop. Fortunately, he didn't encounter any sort of traffic. Thus, making his business finish up faster. As he immediately asked Tsubaki the price and paid the exact amount while running out of the workshop. Equipping his newly repaired Elite Riot Gear.

Though, he didn't have time to take a look at his armor. He focused more on equipping the helmet and using the HUD to track down Syr's marker. Which luckily the Pip-Boy had marked her as a quest. Even though he had no other quests other than the last one he had back in the village.

Maneuvering through the crowd was pretty easy, though annoying with the never-ending amount of noise. If he had some sort of hearing aid, he'd silence almost everything right now.

And so his marker easily lead her to Syr. With her wallet on hand, he gave it to her. Gaining a very cute 'thank you' that he was not affected by.

When he announced what he will be doing next, she argued with him about joining her. Then she dragged him away. He could've pulled away anytime. But that'd be rude.

Other than that, something tugged at him when she convinced the Courier to accompany her.

 _Let go of your responsibilities. Do what you haven't done in your old world, you know?_

...

' _Was I really like that?_ ' He asked himself.

He looked back. For years, even when he took the job as a courier, he never took a break for himself. He kept on delivering, fighting. It birthed Hopeville and the Divide while he did his job, and then it lead to that turning point in his life. That one job that told him to deliver a special package. And then, someone intervened.

Benny.

Two shots to the head, and he almost forgot everything. From there, he abandoned his job as a courier for the Mojave. Going on a quest around the Mojave instead to find out who shot him and so he can pay back what he had done to him. Meeting people that became his enemies or his companions, making allies with unlikely factions. Debating about the power between House, the NCR, and the Legion. Before ultimately deciding that _he_ , Courier Six, should lead Vegas himself.

But even before the battle for the dam, he went to the Sierra Madre. Entranced by the very enticing radio signal which got him kidnapped towards something horrific. Turned into a prisoner and forced into doing things he had to do but didn't want to. Meeting Dog/God, the latter being the most reasonable. Meeting Dean Domino, one he could be okay with. Until which he had to put him down because he wasn't going to cooperate anytime soon. Which gave Six a massive void of regret. Then there's Christine. Working with her so that he can stop Elijah, the one that pulled him to do his bidding, once and for all.

Then he went on a journey to the _Zion Canyons_. Hoping to follow and do a simple job and maybe go sightseeing. But, like his luck, things took a quick turn into being wrong. And there, he met the _White Legs_ , the _Sorrows,_ and the _Dead Horses_. Forced into another job he didn't want to do, but had no choice and decided to comply anyway, feeling bad about the situation. Meeting and working with Joshua Graham, the rumored Burned Man himself, and Daniel. All the while, their beliefs in their religion clashed.

In the end, he decided to allow the tribes to stay and fight the _White Legs_ instead. But with Joshua Graham, they weren't fighting. His tribesmen were massacring them. And so, he convinced Joshua to spare them. Thinking about it now, he should look at things differently.

Right after that, he found a broken satellite which brought him to _Big Mountain_. Or _Big MT_ for short. A large scientific facility that is every nerd's major dream. Meeting the _Think Tank_ and the scientists living within them. He saw them as lunatics, bearable and useful but still insane.

Then they told Six about his current predicament. _Heartless_ , _spineless_ , and _brainless_. While he did find the facts shocking for two seconds, he found them pretty useful right after. Except for the fact that he couldn't leave _Big MT_ because he needed his live and original brain.

Again, with their combat capabilities, he did their quests and fought the products and inhabitants of _Big Mountain_ all on his own. Encountering weird shit, _cyberhounds_ , _Robobrains,_ and fucking _Roboscorpions_. When he finally confronted Mobius, he was actually the most reasonable out of them. Telling them the true reason why he pretended to be the villain. And so he saw the real reason why the five stooges of the _Think Tank_ wanted his brain.

So with a weird conversation with... himself, he finally convinced his smartass of a brain to come with him and get out of _Big MT_. With that, he went back to the _Think Tank._ Confronting the five scientists and managed to use his intellect to trick them and convince them to stop and collaborate with him. Thus, ending that conflict peacefully and with fewer complications.

Just as he thought he was done, there was something in common out of everything in he had encountered in his wacky adventures.

It mentioned a weird man who talked of history and the _old world flag_.

There, it lead him to his last major adventure.

 _The Divide._

Comparing that hellhole to the Sierra Madre, the latter makes itself look like Nuka-World. The settlement he once discovered as Hopeville, was ravaged by the _sleeping giants_ of the Old World.

Which were nukes.

He met another ED-E, though this one was unique in a sense. He left the first missile silo, and then there came the man who talked of his roads.

Ulysses.

He commented on his stand in the Mojave. Remembering that he didn't care about his Independence for Vegas. He revealed Six's history. Piece by piece. Ones that he couldn't remember, likely because of the damage he got in his brain thanks to Benny. Time and time, they went forth on their adventures. ED-E and Courier Six. Fighting through irradiated people that were once Legion or NCR. Or maybe horrors that were born through radiation, like the Tunnelers. Annoying pieces of shit.

Then he came into a nuclear silo's control panel. Launching a live nuclear missile into God knows where. Birthing the _Courier's Mile._

All of a sudden, Ulysses told him that it was his fault, when he himself was instructing him to launch the damn missile.

That aside, the rest of his history was shown. Instantly, memories flashed back to him. Remembering that he had a job to deliver a package to a place called Hopeville. Until the settlement was destroyed.

Then ED-E left him, overridden by Ulysses commands. He fought through another army of Marked Men, Deathclaws and killed Rawr. Piece of shit. Building after collapsed building, he reached _Ulysses' Temple_. Another missile silo. There, he saved ED-E. And then, he confronted the big man himself. Surprised at his appearance which lasted for two seconds.

He realized the fault that Six carried, and that Ulysses would carry the same burden too if he were to launch the missile behind his back.

So he told him. He'd repeat history's mistakes. Six's mistakes. The goal he was supposedly intending to avoid and stop.

He believed him.

They fought together, killing the Marked Men that were coming after Six. And averting the nuclear launch onto somewhere else.

At that time, he hated the NCR and despised the Legion. So he blew one of their outposts to sky-high. Creating the _Long 15 Outpost_ and _Dry Wells_.

Then came the Battle for Hoover Dam. Winning the day and taking Vegas on his own. Without Mr. House's help but with Yes Man's assistance as he, Courier Six, lead the newly Independent Vegas into a bright future.

Which was true.

So his adventures continued. Decided to become a bounty hunter which lead to a few numerous things, one of which was a scarring moment for the Courier. Helping a weird faction of the Enclave because.. he wanted to.

He met the Lone Wanderer, the Sole Survivor. The Storyteller. Went on journeys. Collaborated with business, evolved his city, personally handled espionage missions and everything else.

...

...

But what did he gain from them?

Nothing. Even if he lead a city, it was a pain the ass to handle.

He never had a break. A true one. That time where he gambled in the Strip? That was just a mission. It was a headache to play Blackjack and always win in roulette or the slot machines.

Every time he wanted to have a hiatus, one thing lead to another and it brought him back to action.

Thus realizing, he can never have what he wants.

So the question is, _was he tired of it all?_

' _Maybe the Sierra Madre was saying something after all._ '

Six finally realized. Snapping himself out of his dream-like state, and returned to reality. Where he was in Orario and allowing himself to be on a date with Syr.

' _Maybe she's right. I should probably do what I didn't do in the back-when._ '

So here he was. Helmet off, eating a crepe with a girl he had just befriended. And shortly after, enjoyed the entertainment the festival had to offer. Playing some games with Syr, which made him think ' _déjà vu_ '. Winning some prizes which they both used. Specifically speaking, coupons.

Doing all that, they were sitting on a bench. Both of them enjoying another crepe they had ordered.

" _Thank you again for paying. Even though I should be the one doing that._ " He said with a bit of a grumble at the end.

Syr chuckled. "Think of it as thanks. For going so far to give me my wallet and for winning me lots of prizes. You did save me money after all."

Six looked at the small bag beside Syr. It was filled with prizes and trinkets he won from playing those festival games that look reminiscing of the games he played back in the village with Aina. It was pretty easy actually. It was all more or less accuracy games. They played darts, ring tosses, and some others. Maybe his skills paid off, being worth the XP he had worked hard for.

The Courier bit another chunk on his crepe. " _So. Syr._ "

"Hm?" The girl looked at him, wondering what he has to say.

There had been a thought that ached at Six's mind. Right as soon as they began having their 'date', it came up within his thoughts. Right now was as good as any to voice said thought.

Six exhaled after gulping down his crepe. " _Syr. Why did you help me?_ "

"Help..?" The girl asked. Confused for a slight bit.

" _Why would you... allow me to have something as nice as this? Even though we had just met and me spilling out almost my entire biography to you, why did you do it?_ "

A part of Six thought that she was just too nice for her own good. The girl was kind enough to visit the Orphanage from time to time and she did it out of her own goodwill.

Syr was silent for a bit. Contemplating on how she would respond as Six waited patiently. Eating some of the delicacy in his hands.

"Because..." Her voice broke out, as Six looked at her anticipatingly. "..I wanted to repay you."

Six sat there silently and frozen. His eyes traced on Syr and his expression going 'are you joking me?'.

He was about to say something until Syr continued.

"That and because I felt bad for you."

" _Wh..?_ "

Syr continued. Her expression changing into something solemn. "The thought of you working so hard that you just become tired and lonely came to mind. You doing good deeds while receiving and suffering in return, it sounds heroic and hopeful. But it sounds unfair."

" _Syr. If you're doing this out of pity, you really don't_ _—"_

"Six-san. Please, let me finish."

He just replied with silence. Syr noticed and continued.

"I know we had just met for an hour or so, but I can't help but... help you. It sounds weird and silly, I know, but I just feel comfortable and better that I can try and help you at least." Syr's frown turned into a small smile. "There's something alluring about you. Not in a weird way of course, but it's just..."

When Syr trailed off, Six chuckled. " _Heheh, don't worry I get it. There's something so weird about an alien that you're interested in getting to know them. Plus, with what you said about meeting new people?_ "

Syr just looked at him. Six's tone changed when his next sentence came.

" _As for what you said.. well, I'm already used to feeling tired and lonely. It just became common that happiness is like the equivalent of depression now. When you experience it, you don't want it to return because you'll beg for it until you realize you can't._ "

"Still, Six-san.. it's just unfair." Syr muttered.

Six shrugged. " _Well, the world's unfair. Might as well do the best I can to adapt to it._ "

"But what about now? You're in this world and not where you're from." Syr asked.

" _Well. It's almost the opposite here in terms of societal matters. So that's good._ " Six answered, taking a bite of his crepe.

They both trailed into silence. For Syr, it felt uncomfortable. She just thinks that Six won't accept happiness because it would make him spiral into his own state of depression and insanity when that feeling is gone. 'It's just unfair. He's so friendly and yet behind that, it's just pain.'

" _Hey, Syr?_ " Six suddenly asked. The girl turned to look at him.

A warm smile bore his face. He raised his crepe. " _Thank you for trying to make me happy though. No one in my world would likely do the same. Especially if they just met me._ "

When Six said that, Syr felt her heart warm. Even if he wouldn't accept it, the fact that he acknowledges her attempt is enough to make her satisfied. 'There's some semblance of joy in you at least, Courier.'

Syr giggled and smiled in return.

"You're welcome Six-san."

* * *

" _Haven't had a kebab this good since... forever._ " Six said as he bit into the meat. Moaning in satisfaction at the taste it delivered.

They had just played another game. And to nobody's surprise, Six won again. News spread fast about his skills. They made the other stands wary of his presence. Though some did try and challenge his prowess, boy were they humiliated.

He just won a doll (though to Six, it was more of a stuffed toy. And he was surprised when those existed here) of some kind as Syr said it would be given to Ryuu later.

Right after that, they stumbled onto a stand that sold campfire food. Six suggested to give it a try, as Syr finally succumbed to his idea.

To her surprise, she actually enjoyed it.

"Your suggestion was really good Six-san. Maybe I should buy some for the others later." Syr thought out loud. She elegantly ate the roasted vegetables on her kebab, humming in delight as well.

" _I can tell when campfire food is good or not. It's practically all I've eaten._ " Six chuckled. "[Outdoorsman] _I can make steaks from a campfire and not have it expire after all_."

"[SUCCESS] I believe you. I mean, you did let me have some of that Brahmin you mentioned." Syr added.

" _It was good right? I never got your opinion on that._ " Six asked.

"Yes it was, in fact. Can you even make sweet food over a campfire?"

" _Perhaps. Give me some ingredients, and I could probably whip something up._ "

"Maybe another time then."

" _Yeah, another time._ "

They fell into a comfortable silence as they both ate their kebabs. Six gently savoring the snack while Syr ate with elegance.

" _Um Syr? There's a bit of uh.._ " Six gestured to a side of his mouth. Referring to the bit of a smudge on her side.

"Oh really?" Syr was about to wipe it off with her hand. Until she had a great idea to utilize upon the Courier.

She giggled and smiled sweetly at Six. She gestured a bit to the smudge on her face. "Oh Six~? Perhaps you could..?"

Six deadpanned. " _I'm not going to do that romcom_ _ _—no, that clich_ é thing where I wipe that dirt off your face._"

"Ehhh~" Syr just smiled.

Six sighed. " _Y_ _ou don't have a handkerchief or something?_ "

"I do but _ _—__ " Six intervened by sending a hand to one of Syr's apron pockets. He felt her wallet, but then he felt something with fabric. Must be what it he might think it is. Pulling it out, he saw a glimpse of the handkerchief and used it on Syr's face. Gently wiping the dirt off the side as the Courier returned the folded piece of fabric back into her pocket.

" _There. You happy?_ " Six asked as he bit into his kebab again.

Syr just shook her head. "Sometimes you kill the fun in it, Six."

As she said that, she began walking away. Leaving a confused Six behind. " _Hey Syr, what does that mean hm? Hey! Syr!_ "

They continued on with their date and bantered. Until Six saw a glimpse of a familiar brown-haired half-elf he had met three days ago.

Six saw her from a distance, and with Syr by his side, he approached the person who seemed to be talking with another familiar figure he had interacted with. When he was in an audible distance, he called her out.

" _Hey, Eina!_ "

The half-elf stopped and so did the pink-haired girl. They both turned towards the sound, only for emerald and pink eyes to meet black ones. The half-elf silently gasped while the pink-haired gaped.

"Six-kun?" Eina asked as the approaching duo was just before them.

"'Kun'?" Syr frowned and narrowed her eyes towards the Courier.

" _Syr. Stop acting like what I think you're acting like._ "

The gray-haired waitress smiled in an instant and giggled to herself.

" _Anyway yeah, how's it going Eina?_ " Six turned to the half-elf.

"Good." Eina answered with a hint of uncertainty. One that Six caught on with. "How are you, Six-kun? Glad to see you aren't fooling around like I thought you would."

" _Seriously, who do you think I am?_ " He said. " _And,_ _I'm doing well._ "

He gestured to the girl beside him. Said girl noticed and took it as a sign to explain herself. "Oh, my name is Syr Flova. I work at the Hostess of Fertility."

"Ah yes, I can remember. I am Eina Tulle. Six's Guild advisor." She gestured to herself. "Might I ask what are you two doing?"

Syr grinned. And wrapped both arms around Six's right. "We're on a date."

The Courier narrowed his eyes at the waitress. While Eina seemed a bit flabbergasted.

"Oh really? I-I didn't realize." She smiled nervously.

" _Don't really think about it, Eina. It's not what you think it is._ " Six waved her off and tried to flail his arm a bit to release the gray-haired girl latched onto it. Tried to. Because Syr was stuck as if she were glued. When he realized Syr won't be getting off anytime, he sighed.

" _Anyway, I noticed you look a bit conflicted earlier. Is there a problem?_ " Six asked.

The surprise on both of the Guild members faces were quite visible. Some sweat dripped from Eina's cheek. "Um, n-nothing really. Just minor issues for the festival."

Six raised his eyebrow. Not impressed with her attempt to hide it. " _If you can't conceal it, might as well tell me anyway. What's wrong?_ "

"Well..." Eina scanned over Six. Wondering if it was alright to trust him and tell what's wrong.

Her instinct told her to do so. And with it, she gestured the Courier to lean forward a bit. Six knew it must be important then, and so he followed.

"There's been reports that the west side of the arena had some monsters broken out. And we were trusted to maintain the peace." Eina whispered.

Six's eyebrows raised. His expression not changing however. " _I see._ "

He returned from the lean and finished his kebab. Leaving him with a barbecue stick instead. When he swallowed down the food, his next words caught Eina and Syr off-guard.

" _I'll go check it out then._ "

Eina gasped while Syr maintained her composure when she realized that Six would likely do just that.

" _Syr, I'll go_ _ _—__ "

 _ **CRASH!**_

Then in the gate nearby, it had just imploded with monsters all about. From Goblins to even the likes of Hard Armoreds had appeared. The horde of creatures roared as some began to leap for the citizens. Who began to flee when the monsters moved towards them.

One such monster, a Kobold, saw Eina. With it, the dog-creature lunged for the vulnerable half-elf. Who gasped and braced herself for the worst.

Yet nothing happened.

She opened her eyes, and was greeted with the sight of Six stabbing his barbecue stick onto the dog's head. He took off said stick as the body fell to the floor and dissolved in a puff of smoke.

The Courier turned to the three. " _Misha,_ _Eina, Syr. Get out of here. I'll get the monsters plaguing the town._ "

"Six!" Eina dropped the honorific. "You don't have a Falna! You will get _ _—__ "

"Don't worry about it."

Eina turned beside her. Seeing Syr in a calmed state. "Six here can handle them all. He's faced worse than this. Trust me."

The conviction in Syr's words fought Eina's judgment. It wasn't long when she succumbed to the idea of Six being capable of taking them all.

After all, the aura he emitted right in front of her was so dangerous that all the monsters in front of him turned directly to the Elite Riot Geared man.

In one swift motion, Six requipped his helmet. And when it fitted in, he threw his barbecue stick onto a Killer Ant in front of the horde.

The Killer Ant disappeared in smoke right after.

The monsters stopped and looked at their dead comrade in the form of a magic stone. The weaker monsters had faces of fear and worry.

" _Syr, Eina! Go!_ " Courier Six's distorted voice came through the helmet. He then took out a desert camoed sniper rifle from his back.

"You better stay safe, Six-kun!" Eina said before she and Misha fled from the area.

"You really had to play hero, Six." Syr sighed as she tightened the hold on her bag and kebab. "So, tonight at the Hostess?"

The Courier merely turned to her with a nod. Before facing the horde of monsters again.

Syr smiled to herself. Why did she feel so much like a princess being protected?

The waitress turned and left. The sound of gunfire ensuing, and monsters roaring.

* * *

 **...**

 **Reply to doomqwer: Well, you got this chapter so... yeah. Just hope the next one comes soon.**

 **Reply to T-B-R: *proceeds to singlehandedly break Orario's economy and stock market**

 **Reply to SebjectCrimsonStorm: "No?" "Then.. die!"**

 **Reply to gerome945: I went for Doc Brown from BTTF for a tiny bit. I should probably make a cameo where there's a dude named Marty in his Familia.**

 **Reply to Unzealots: Yes, she is. Though whatever you're implying, she and Six are nothing more than good friends.**

 **Reply to Malgrath: Confession; I thought Sweet Revenge was weak. I played on Very Hard. And when I fought Marko, the dude can easily two-shot or three-shot me. Though when I got Old Scratch, that thing was 2x stronger than Lucky. Sadly, these weapons ain't canon.**

 **Reply to Ironically Challenged: I am glad you are pointing out my mistakes with my misuse of words. I should likely get someone to beta or reread through this thing on my own.**

 **Reply to A fan: I'm not gonna make Six break Orario's economy with bottlecaps. That's too much. For the sword? It's likely subtle. As Tsubaki had pointed out, the rads were weak. Though I've yet to build on this idea properly. I might try and explore it.**

 **Reply to UndeadLord22: Thanks. I think I needed that. As for melee, well, he could forge something and get it reinforced with a bottlecap or a couple. Though yes, the question is what would be the weapon?**

 **Reply to HaMCRI: Um.. pardon me? Is that the other Fate crossover or the quest from the game...? I apologize for my retardation.**

 **Reply to Hangzoed: Thank you. I wish you stick around.**

 **...**

 **Author's Notes: Forgive me for that cringey Sherlock part I wrote. Didn't know what was going through my head when I wrote it. But I still decided to keep it there because I'm going to write more stuff like that to show how perceptive Six is with just one glance. So yeah, basically Sherlock.**

 **Note about _Outdoorsman_ , it's a skill from Fallout 1 and 2. In New Vegas, it was replaced with _Survival_. I initially wrote _Survival_ on the sentence but I didn't know what value to use. So I opted for an old classic and thought to use it as a perk. **

**The part where Six talks about the Deathclaw Promontory is my experience in the game. An actual child NPC spawned in the area (don't bother asking why** **), and Rex was with me. I challenged myself to not cheat out of the area so I actually beat the place with a cowboy repeater and that tesla cannon you get if your game has Project Nevada. It was quite fun to do.  
**

 **Next chapter will have action and a major part for the story.  
**

 **So see ya next chapter fellow readers.**


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